Every Fan's Wish
by IvyRaven03
Summary: Sky Morose and Melody Rose are two girls in the same. Both holding the same love for their idle, Michael Jackson. After his death, they only had each other to lean on. What happens when they meet what seemed to be Mike's twin 2 years after his death?
1. Epilogue

_**Here we go with a new story....just the epilogue first so dont get too excited. Some of you already knew i was in the process of writing a new story...and it wont be just me this time. Rebecca has agreed to help me write this, so not all credit will go to me. i'm still writing Two Hearts. One Dream so please be patient with this story...i cant be as multi tasking as Rebecca and write 2 stories plus deal with finals all week...but im gonna do it for Michael. Much love and here we go!**_

Every Fan's Wish

_Epilogue_

So tell me what's a girl to do when she's on an emotional roller coaster and no matter how loud she screams, no one can hear her and no one will let her off?

The day her idle died, Sky Morose was torn, but not necessarily depressed. These things happened and she knew that. It was just a part of life, "human nature" as her idle had put it, and he was just another human in her eyes. A very talented one at that, but still human. She was made fun of for crying over her idle, but she didn't care. No one would ever stop her from loving Michael Jackson until the day she died. Not even after that, would she ever stop loving him.

Sadly, even her own mother made jokes about it. Her mother liked her daughter's idle all the same, but she didn't understand why anyone would spend so much time crying over someone you've never actually met in person.

She did have one friend who understood her and felt the same pain over Michael Jackson's death. Her name was Melody Rose. She held the same feelings for the same man as Sky did. They were able to confide in each other after he had died, because no one else really understood. They knew the only way they'd get through their lives now was to help each other along the way.

And so the story begins...


	2. Chapter 1

Every Fan's Wish Ch. 1

"I still can't believe he's gone," I whispered to myself as I hugged my pillow and cried into it. It's been 2 years next month since my idle passed away. My name is Sky. I live in the little town of Joy, Texas in a little house with my mother and older brother, and I'm 23 years old.

I sat on my bed and stared at Michael Jackson's face looking down on me. My wall was covered with posters and my mom thought I was ridiculous. For that reason alone, I always kept my door locked. I even locked it before I left the house and wore the key on a chain around my neck. I was never at peace staying at home anymore. My mother always hounded me to get a life and quit crying over someone who's not even here anymore.

"You just don't understand," I told her.

"You don't understand, Sky. He never knew you existed. Maybe now he does since he's in heaven, but you can't keep crying over someone you never knew."

"I knew his heart..." I whispered.

These arguments went on for what seemed like a lifetime. When I was home, I hid in my room. Sometimes I'd escape by writing random stories. Fan fictions actually, some about Michael and some on different things. I went out with friends every now and then, but all of them always told me I was obsessed. I really wasn't. I felt at peace by keeping something on me at all times that had Michael's face on it.

I had a watch on my wrist that had him on the face of it, and thanks to the only girl I ever considered a real friend Melody, I had a bag with the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine which, of course, had Michael on the cover. Melody was in the same boat as I was. She lived with her mother and was helping her raise her little brother, and her mom was also pregnant again. She had it a little harder than I did. Her mom always believed Michael was guilty.

She would always have the same arguments with her mother as I did with mine. Hers seemed to me unbarable though. I stopped going to her house because of the things her mother had said.

"You can't love a pedophile...think of your little brother Mel!" she shouted.

"Innocent until proven guilty..." Melody growled. That was all she ever said in Michael's defense. I knew why she never said more. If she had let herself continue to argue, she would have opened up a cussing storm, and she was like me and wanted to be like Michael and not use such vulgar language. I had a great deal of respect for her.

I heard a knocking at my door and I clenched my teeth. "Go away."

"Sky...it's me, Melody. Can I come in?"

I jumped up and unlocked the door to let her in. Once she entered, I slammed the door shut and locked it again and returned to my place on my bed. "What's up Mel?"

She sighed. "The usual..." she looked around the room at all my posters and then smiled at the biggest one on my wall of him smiling at us. "Doesn't seem like he's been gone this long, has it?"

"No..." I said quietly. I wiped some stray tears away and Melody smiled weakly at me and put her arm around me.

"Hey...I have a suprise for you. Get dressed...we're going on a little trip."

I eyed her and she just stared at me. I knew better than to question her. She may not argue with her mom, but she had no problems putting me in my place. I got dressed and locked my room tightly and slid the key around my neck. "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see..." she smiled.

'Great...she's plotting...' I thought.

We walked out without even bothering to tell my mom where we were going. She never payed much attention when Melody came over. Maybe that's why she kept coming over to my place, because she didn't have to listen to someone bashing Michael all the time. I rode quietly until we pulled up into a theater parking lot. I gasped and looked at Melody who had a huge grin on her face.

"You didn't..." I gasped.

Melody grinned and held up 2 tickets to Michael Jackson's This is it movie. "I did."

"Oh my god, I freaking love you Mel!" I hugged her neck and she laughed.

"Yea, yea I know I'm awesome. You can remind me later by buying me lunch. Let's go watch our man get down," she grinned and we ran into the theater and handed over our tickets. As we walked to the theater, I looked down at my outfit. I was in a red tank top and blue jeans and she was in a black tank top and black pants.

"Geeze, Mel...I wish you would've atleast given me a heads up. I would've worn my MJ shirt."

"Relax, we're going in style," she beamed and threw me her bag. I looked in it and found my black fedora hat and her's as well. I smiled at her as I threw her her own hat. "I know...I love you too...now come on!" she grabbed my hand and dragged me into the theater. We sat and watched the movie in awe. There wasn't alot of people in there and we sang every song that he had rehearsed.

I started crying when he sang I'll Be There. Melody grabbed my hand and we sang it together. We even swung our arms when Michael told the dancers to join in. I sniffed and rubbed my eyes and we continued to watch.

"Look at that! Did you see that slow move he just did?" Melody jumped and put her hand over her heart as he danced to Billie Jean. "Did that not just give you chills?"

I nodded and felt the pounding of my own heart. After the movie ended, we clapped and got eyed by a few people, but we didn't care. We sat during the credits and sang along to This is it and Heal the World. We walked out of the theater with a new perspective after that.

"So, how do you feel?" she asked me.

"Strangely calm...how about you?"

"The same. I still miss him like crazy...but now he doesn't have to feel the pain anymore."

"Yea...but now we do," I looked down and sighed. Melody thought about what I had said and then she nodded.

"I don't think we're doing it alone, though, do you?" I looked at her and she was staring up at the night sky. I looked up with her and we saw a shooting star go by. "If only the magic was real...hey...let's make a wish."

"A wish? For what?"

"Hm...let's wish that wherever Michael is, that he is safe and in no more pain..."

I nodded and closed my eyes. "And that we will see him real soon." She nodded and closed her eyes. We sat there for a minute before her phone rang.

"Hello? Yes mom? Right now? Come on...I'm out with Sky and...ugh whatever bye!" she slammed her phone shut and groaned. "Mom's in one of those moods again, so I have to go."

I sighed. "Mel...I think we need to get our own place. Seriously...we need to save up and get a place away from where we are now. We wouldn't have to deal with haters anymore. What do you say?"

She thought for a moment and then grinned. "I'd say we're going apartment hunting tomorrow!"

"Don't you think we should save up a bit first?" I asked as we piled into her car.

"Well yea, but I mean we can get applications, and I already have some money put away. So let's do it!" she grinned and sped off to my place.

"Okay," I smiled and we shook on it. She raced me home and I walked in and grabbed a bottle of water and locked myself into my room for the night. I stared at Michael's picture on the wall and sang some of his songs to myself. My phone rang and I rolled over and answered. "Hello?"

_"Hey...after tonight I'm definitely ready to move out. I'll pick you up at 9 AM okay?"_

"9? Come on Mel...I need my beauty sleep..." I groaned.

_"Do you wanna get out of that house?"_ she asked plainly.

"Well...yea..."

_"Then be ready at 9. See you then!"_

Before I could say anything more, she hung up. I could still hear her mother yelling in the background. Something about seeing a stupid movie and wasting too much time. Even if I probably never would've moved out on my own, I was glad we made this decision. Atleast it would get her out of that horrible lifestyle and maybe once we were settled, we could finally get over Michael and have a tolerable life until it was done.

I rolled back onto my other side and looked into Michael's eyes. If I stared long enough, sometimes I swear I'd see him smile and wink at me. That helped me get to sleep at night. The next morning, on time, Melody was pounding at my bedroom door.

"Hang on, geeze..." I flung my door open and she pranced in, dressed and ready. "You almost made me poke my eye out with my eyeliner."

"Sorry..." she shrugged. "Guess you woke up late, huh?"

I eyed her and then looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a white tank top and navy blue boxer shorts. "How could you tell?" I asked sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and dug through my closet. She threw me a tank top with Michael's face on it and a pair of jeans. "Uhh...thanks."

She nodded and paced my entire floor about a thousand times while I finished getting ready. "Ugh...finally! Let's go."

I locked up my room and walked right behind her. We stopped to get some breakfast and then we were off again, traveling the roads in more than one city. We stopped at several different apartment complexes and we were shown quite a few models before we finally narrowed our decisions down to 2. Both of them were a 3 bedroom, 2 bath place. One was a little bigger in the living room with smaller bedrooms and the other had bigger rooms, a closed in balcony, and a marble top kitchen. We decided on the last one.

We filled out the applications and decided on a date to start moving in. After that, we went to eat lunch at McDonalds. "So, what do you think our mothers will say to all this?" I asked as I munched on a french fry.

"My mom's been dying to get rid of me, I think. I'm sure she'll argue with me for the simple fact that I won't be helping her raise my little brother anymore. Yours might be the emotional one."

I agreed. We talked about it for a while and decided we would tell them together to make it a little easier on us. When we did, Melody's predictions were exact. We got all the typical "why's" and "how could you do this?" and we eventually threw our hands up.

"Come on...stop!" Melody yelled. "Did you ever realize what kind of hell you two were putting on me and Sky?"

"Enough is enough. We're tired of being dissed on for loving Michael all the time. Haven't you realized after the first year since he died that we weren't gonna just walk away and forget he existed?"

They oddly shut their mouths and listened. "We're done. You mocked and judged for too long now and we're not gonna take it anymore. We will still be around if you need us but we won't live under this torture anymore." Melody clenched her teeth and I grabbed her hand.

After a brief hesitation, we walked back to her bedroom and packed her things. We stopped by the apartment and dropped off what we could and went back for my things. After the last box was loaded, my mom stopped me with her mother standing behind her.

"Can't you give us another chance? You can't just do this all because of Michael Jackson."

"We're doing this for us, not for him. How can you expect us to get over his death when you two are bashing him in front of us all the time? We can't, okay?" I sighed and got into the truck. Melody backed out and rolled down the window.

"We love you." she smiled and we drove off to begin a new life without all the pain and sorrow we had delt with for nearly 2 years.


	3. Chapter 2

_**okay so here's the deal...my character is Sky...I own her, or however you say it. Rebecca owns Melody so she wrote Mel's POV's, i wrote Sky's...i think you all get the basic idea. read on!**_

_**Melody's POV**_

I couldn't explain it. I loved my mama and my lil brother but my nerves were done. I had had enough. I mean my childhood hero, Michael Jackson, he was gone. Gone for two years, and though I did not know him, it didn't change the way I felt about him. My mother was convinced he was guilty of the abuse charges, and I couldn't live with that anymore. I couldn't even have a poster on my wall, or she'd flip out! Little people knew what I was feeling, but my best friend, and my new housemate, Sky, did. She knew all too well what I was going through, because she was going through it herself. Yeah, sure, her mom liked MJ, but she couldn't understand our grief. Few people can. So we left home. At 19, it was time I did anyway.

The day had come where we could paint the rooms in the house. My cousin, Chris, was coming over to help move the furniture.

"What are you doing your room in, Mel?" Sky asked as we were at Home Depot, looking at swatches.

"Um, I'm thinking of black, red, and blue," I said. She eyed me warily.

"What, an abuse motif?" she joked.

"No! I just like the contrast of it, it's different," I said, throwing a swatch at her.

"I like the idea of black and gold for your room," she said. "Think about it. Black walls, gold trim on along the bottom and the top, and on the window. And the ceiling! Black with gold spray painted across the top. It would look lovely, and it would suit your personality."

"Oh, man that does sound cool," I said. "It almost sounds like something you want."

Sky shook her head and grinned. "Nah, I have my own idea. I'd like to paint a sunset colored wall, you know? Like the reds and oranges at the top fading into a light blue at the bottom...maybe add a few clouds here and there, perhaps a few stars at the very top."

"Wow! That sounds awesome!" I said, high-fiving her. We bought the paint and drove back home.

Chris was waiting there when we pulled up. "I swear, Mel, you take longer than Ma. "I'll be back in a minute" _please_. When girls go shopping for anything, they take forever," he said, getting out of his Jeep.

I ran over and hugged him. "Good to see you too, Chris. You ready to get to work?"

"Yeah," he said, rolling up his sleeves.

We had so much fun that day. As we were doing Sky's room, Chris brought out three custom made sponges, and a tray of alphabet sponges. The custom sponges consisted of a music note, a cloud, and a sillohuette of Michael Jackson. There were two of each.

"The note and the cloud actually stands for your names: Melody and Sky. But you both love Michael Jackson, and knowing my creative cousin, she's going to make some kind of project out of this," Chris said, smiling.

I hugged him again. "Thank you so so much," I said. We painted the red and orange fading into a deep blue around Sky's walls like she wanted. Then we took the sponges from Chris. Sky glanced at me, and took a set of the sponges. She began pressing clouds everywhere along the top of her room, and then added a few faded stars at the very top.

"Wow, that is so cool," I whispered. Chris stood by me, with his hands in his pockets. He agreed.

Soon, we were sitting at the kitchen table and were eating lunch, that Chris had gotten from KFC. I was wanting to put off my room, cause it was something I wanted to do alone. As I was sitting thinking, I got inspired. I couldn't wait to get started.

_**Sky's POV**_

Melody was sitting across the table from me in deep thought, and then she started laughing as she ate and made me jump. "Geeze, Mel...have you been sniffing the paint fumes or something?"

"No," she giggled. "I just remember the story I heard at Michael's memorial about how he loved to eat KFC..." she continued to laugh and I cracked a smile. Then she stopped and sighed deeply. "He really was just a normal person like everyone else...wasn't he?"

I scooted my chair to her side of the table and hugged her. "Yes, he always was, but we've always known that. The fact that it took his death for people ro realize how special he really was isn't our fault," I whispered to her as I rubbed her arm. She smiled weakly at me and I kissed her cheek and got up.

"Where are you going?" Melody asked me while she bit into a chicken leg. I laughed when she had some of it left on her chin and she blushed and wiped it off.

"Nice..." I laughed. "I'm gonna go work on the MJ stencil. What are you doing with your room?"

She thought for a minute and grinned. "Well...I got some ideas, but I want it to be a suprise for you."

Chris whined. "What about me? I wanna see!"

"No..." she grumbled and I laughed when he kept pestering her about it. She finally got mad and took her shoe off and threw it at him, hitting him in the forehead. I fell over laughing and she somehow kept a straight face. "I said no...go find some stupid little boy thing to do...or go bother Sky. I can't work with people over my shoulder anyway."

"Psh...artists..." Chris grumbled.

"Oh thanks Mel..." I breathed when I finally quit laughing. "Sending him my way is a recipe for disaster!"

She grinned at me and Chris huffed. "I'm not that bad...I can help..."

"Yea...help tear everything up..." I mumbled and he gave me the sad puppy dog eyes. "Ugh you know that only works for few people," I rolled my eyes and glanced at Melody...who made the same face and I groaned. "Oh god...fine! Just don't touch anything!"

Chris grinned and pranced back into my room and I glared at Melody. "What?" she mumbled through a mouthfull of food.

"I'll get you for this..." I grumbled and walked back into my room. When I finally finished my room, I sat back and admired it. Chris stood by me and whistled. "I know...you don't have to tell me. I know I rock."

"Yea...I wasn't planning on it, but I do like your taste. We should..." Chris was cut off by Melody growling from her room.

"Don't even try it Chris...she isn't into you!"

"Mel!!" he whined and I laughed.

"Sorry...but she's right," I shrugged. "Best friend, remember? She knows me very well." He rolled his eyes and huffed and I ignored him and studied my work to see if I missed anything. "So...I got this idea..."

Chris eyed me and smiled. "Really now?"

"Not that kind of idea, you moron!" I grumbled and then closed the door so Mel wouldn't hear us. "Her birthday is coming up, and I'm thinking about taking her to her first club. What do you think?"

"She might not like that idea, Sky..."

"Well duh that's why I'm gonna suprise her. We got some cool moves we need to show off. Besides, we need a chance to shake the stress away and she may get pissed at first, but I'll bet she will end up having a blast."

"Yea..." Chris scratched his chin in deep thought. "Especially if you talk her into doing the dance with you from Smooth Criminal."

"And Thriller...we nail every move during that song..." I grinned.

"We sure do!" Melody pranced in and stood in awe of my room. "Wow...the stencil looks amazing! Oh hey...I need my stencils Chris..."

Chris handed her the stencils for her room and she grinned and spun one of them on her finger. "So...how's it looking so far?" I asked.

"You gotta wait and see...I'm not done yet!" she pranced back out of the room and closed her door. After a while, Chris helped me move my furniture into my room. He ended up pacing in front of Mel's door and I rolled my eyes and plopped down on the couch to watch television...of course I'd forgotten we had no cable yet.

"Ugh...figures..." I groaned and then Chris slammed on a stereo and started playing Michael Jackson music. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" I jumped up and started dancing to Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'. Mel came out after a few minutes and danced with me and Chris. He did some poor dance moves and then Mel broke out with the robot and I started doing the frontal moonwalk.

After the song ended, Mel and I high fived and wiped the sweat off our foreheads. "We should do that more often. I'm out of shape..." Mel panted. I eyed her and she smiled innocently. "Well I am. Anyway, I'm done. Come see!"

I walked into Mel's room and stared in awe. I swear I felt like Michael's very soul was in her room and his presence was almost overwhelming. "Oh my...Mel...this is just...I'm speechless..." I breathed.

"I know, hold your applause...hold the applause," she beamed as she bowed. Her room was absolutely incredible. Now all we had to do was get the rest of the furniture moved in and deck out with posters. Taking her for her own posters was going to be the highlight for me since she never owned any when she was living with her mother. So many ideas, so little time!


	4. Chapter 3

_**Next chapter...we all know the routine here. Becca owns Mel and I own Sky...bla bla on with the show!**_

_**Melody's POV**_

My 19th birthday was getting closer. I knew Sky was wanting me to get some new posters, but I kept looking at my stencils, and wondering. Posters would be great but something was off in my room. I sat on my bed staring at the blank wall across from me, and suddenly, I was inspired.

I changed into my work clothes (which was really a pair of baggy jeans and a overlarge black t-shirt) and grabbed the gold paint. I poured the paint into a container, and began to work.

I was jamming to "Dangerous" and suddenly I remembered some things I didn't feel like dealing with at the moment. In particular, an argument that happened a few weeks before I left...

_"Always Michael Jackson, don't you have anything else to do? All you do is moan and complain about how he's gone. The world is well rid of him," my mom said._

_"You don't understand. I do everything for you. I almost dropped out when you were unemployed. It doesn't help that my idol is gone only weeks after I graduate!" I shot back._

_"I think it's that Sky girl. You need to quit hanging out with her. None of this started until you two started hanging out together," my mother replied. I just shook my head, grabbed my keys, and took off, my mom still raging after me. I drove to the park and sat on the hood of my car._

_"Lord, what am I going to do? Why doesn't Mama understand? He was a good man. Tell me what I need to do," I prayed silently._

I shuddered at the memory, but I began to work harder on my project.

"Hey, Melody, what are you doing in there?" Sky asked, not opening my door.

"I'm busy! I'm working on a project!" I called back.

A few hours later, I was done. I called Sky into my room, and pointed it out. I had two of the MJ silihuottes, back to back. I had music notes and clouds making a border around them. Across the top I had "Michael Joseph Jackson". Along the bottom, I had put "Long Live the King of Pop".

"Mel, that's...wow. Better than a poster, I know that much," Sky said.

"Yeah, let my mom try to take that down," I joked. I yawned and looked at my alarm clock. It was 2 AM! I had spent four hours on the mural.

"I'm gonna hit the sack," I said. Sky grinned.

"You better, cause you have a long day tomorrow."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" I asked.

"I guess you will just have to wait and see," she grinned. Too tired to argue, I just nodded and curled up in my bed, staring at my wall and silently praying for Michael to watch over me and Sky.

_**Sky's POV**_

I couldn't believe how beautiful Melody made her room. I never would've thought of that, but then I got a new idea. After she went to bed, I got on and started looking up random items for Michael Jackson. Somehow, I managed to find a stencil with his actual autograph on it and I started getting many ideas through my head. I grabbed the phone and called Chris.

_"Hey...Skylie...calling to say you finally changed your mind about the date?" _

I laughed and shook my head. "No such luck, buddy. And don't call me Skylie...you know I don't like that."

_"Not like it? But you let Mel call you that..." _he whined.

"You shouldn't whine so much...it's degrading to your species...and yes I allow Melody to call me that for a good reason. Anyway...can I ask a favor?"

_"Maybe...what is it?"_

"Well, I found an MJ autpgraph stencil on ebay and I wanna get it for Mel, and somehow I wanna blow it up and I'll need you to distract her so I can paint it onto her bedroom wall. What do you think?"

_"Nice...but what's in it for me?"_

"Geeze...uhhh no date. What do you want?"

_"How bout a dance?"_

"What kind of dance?" I mentally groaned for allowing myself to consider it.

_"Waltz..."_

"Uhhh....sure, okay. So will you do it?"

_"Promise me the dance and I will."_

"It's a deal."

I knew I was probably asking for it by agreeing to that, but if it's the only way to get him to help me distract Melody, then I'd do it. She was my best friend and God knows I'd do anything for her. I bought the stencil and waited for it to arrive. About a week later, it did, and thankfully Mel was out at her mom's picking up some things that she had forgotten. I knew she'd be in a bad mood when she got home and I was determined to fix it. Her birthday was tomorrow and I needed to get set for the club.

"Okay...so she's gone. What do you want me to do?" Chris asked.

"Um...just keep watch and if she comes in, distract her and do not let her go into her bedroom until I come out," I pointed my finger at him as I spoke.

"Okay okay...I got ya covered girl. Dam her attitude is wearing off on you."

I rolled my eyes and started on my project. At the bottom corner of her stencilled work, I got out gold sparking paint and added the giant autograph. After removing the stencil, I eyed it for a minute. Something was missing.

"Hey...Chris, grab me some black paint real fast."

He came in and dropped the paint by me and walked back out without looking at me. Mr attitude problem. Must run in the family. I shrugged and painted the outline of the autograph very carefully. Now it was in gold sparkling letters with a black outline that almost looked like a shadow. I hoped she would like this.

I heard the door slam and I knew she was home. I blew on the paint and waved my hands in front of it in attempt to dry it as fast as I could. I heard her arguing with Chris about going to bed. She must have had a bad day with her mother, not that it suprised me. I already knew she was gonna be coming home extremely pissed off or upset...or both. I slid out the door and Melody eyed me.

"What were you doing in there?" she looked at me carefully and then her eyes got big. "Why do you have paint on your clothes? Skylie...what did you do?" she started to panic. I guess she thought I messed up her room. I stood aside and moved my arm forward with a smile.

"Come see for yourself," I winked and she eyed me again and slowly went to her door and opened it. She looked around the room until her eyes landed on the autograph. Her eyes lit up and she spun on her heels and squeezed me in a bear hug. "Glad you like it," I gasped.

"This is awesome Sky! How did you...oh my God! It's really his signature...but how?" she was talking so fast, her words were running together. I giggled and patted her back.

"Ebay of course. Wasn't easy to get it bigger than how it came, but I managed. This is just part of your birthday though. Part two comes tomorrow night," I winked and she looked at me confused.

"Sky...what are you planning?"

I grinned innocently. "You'll see."

_**sorry if these chapters are short but work with us here. a little at a time people! much love from Becca and Jen muah!**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**we all know who owns whom in this story so lets get on with it, shall we?**_

_**Sky's POV**_

The following night, I was extremely excited and Melody was a little anxious to say the least. She had no idea what I was planning and it was driving her insane.

"Can you please just tell me where we're going?" she begged.

"Nope...here put this on," I threw her a sparkling blue tank top and her low ride jeans.

"My dancing clothes? Sky..."

"Shut up and get dressed. Sheesh..." I snapped. We finally finished getting ready and she smiled at herself in the mirror. "See? You look fabulous my dear. Now let's go get our groove on!"

"Sky...if you're taking me to a club...I'm not gonna be snuck in like a bad person with a fake I.D."

"Mel...relax. We're going to a club that's 18 and up. Let's go have some fun for once."

I finally talked her into getting into the car and I drove to the best club in town, which was ironically the only club, really. Joy, Texas was a very small town without much to do. Melody's eyes lit up when we pulled into the parking lot.

"Club Fusion? Nice..." she whistled.

"Yep."

"Uh...Skylie...is this club MJ friendly?" she asked, biting her lip. I looked at her as I parked and rubbed her arm lightly.

"I'm not sure honestly, but it doesn't matter. I hear the DJ does requests...so we need to get our dance on and teach these people about our hero and what influence he had on us," I winked at her and she hesitated and then smiled.

We walked in and saw many people already on the dance floor. Most of the music was newer artists. We found a table and ordered non alcoholic drinks and chilled for a while. A few guys came by and asked us to dance and we turned them down nicely. After about an hour with no good music that really caught Mel's attention...I got agrivated and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Mel asked me, grabbing my arm.

"I'll be right back," I smiled and she eyed me suspiciously. When she let go, I ran over to the DJ and requested a couple of songs. He nodded and grinned at me and I gave him a funny look.

"Finally someone requests music that actually has good taste...I'll be glad to oblige," he grinned and I smiled back and walked back to Melody. "Hey...come with me. We're gonna dance."

"D...dance? B...but Sky...I...I can't..." she studdered.

"Oh yes you can. Trust me." I grabbed her hand and she tensed. I knew how she felt. She really didn't like to dance unless she felt the music instead of heard it. Just like me. She and I didn't feel the music until we heard Michael's music...and that was about to change. Soon, Thriller came on and I grinned at Melody as she relaxed.

"You rock," she grinned, nudging me. I brushed my shoulders off and we took the stance on the dance floor and began dancing. Everyone eyed us as we danced along to Thriller, but we didn't care. We were feeling the music and having fun. Near the end, I noticed the people around us eyeing us weirdly, but I kept up with Melody anyway. At the end, I noticed a man smiling in the crowd and he clapped louder than anyone else.

"That was great...but I'm starting to think this place isn't really in tune with MJ..." I bit my lip. Melody looked around and shrugged.

"Their loss..."

Right after that, Smooth Criminal came on and Melody had an even bigger smile on her face. This was the one dance we hadn't done in public, but we've nailed the moves down at home several times. We were excited to say the least. As we danced, only a few people joined in. What caught my eye, was that same man that was smiling at us before joined in and he nailed the moves exactly.

When we slowed down I nudged Mel. "Check out the guy in red over there," I panted as we danced. She looked over and watched him dance with us and then smiled.

"Atleast we know now we aren't the only MJ fans here," she panted back. We finished the song and went back to sit down. "That was so much fun. I feel like I could just dance all night now."

I laughed. "Yea, me too."

_**Melody's POV**_

After we got done dancing, I noticed that man in red over in the corner, studyng me and Sky. I poked her.

"OW!" she said.

"Sorry, just check it out," I whispered nodding over to the stranger in red. I smiled a little on the inside, thinking of the song Stranger in Moscow. She followed my eyes and scrutinized him. He turned and walked away quickly.

"Weird," Sky said. "He's been watching us all night. Almost like he was watching over us or something."

"I agree," I said, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew him. Sky looked uncomfortable, too, so I guess she felt the same way.

Soon, I saw someone I did not want to see. Juan Ramirez, aka my worst nightmare.

Juan and I dated for two years. At first, he was a gentleman. Then, he became more obsessive, possessive, and abusive toward me. Sky HATED him. She told me to leave, and one day I did. He found me and knocked me out so bad I had to spend a day in the hospital. He was arrested, but was released. Then he began to stalk me, until my real dad, who lives in Houston, paid him a visit.

Juan noticed me and Sky. I noticed his brother in law, Diego, was with him. Diego was a took, too. He treated Juan's sister like crap and Juan let him. She was pregnant, but it didnt seem to matter.

"Sky, we need to go," I said.

"Why?" she asked. "Don't you wanna dance some more?"

"No. Juan is here," I whispered.

She took the hint and we exited the club. As we were heading to the truck, I winced as I felt something hit my back. I turned as I heard my name called.

"Hey, Melody!"

"Melody, just get in the truck," Sky whispered, fear in her eyes. My hands were shaking, a sign I was about to go off. I ignored her.

"What. Do. You. Want?" I asked slowly, hatred echoing in every sylable.

"How's it been going? Can't find another man like me, huh?" Juan asked, leering at me. He smelt like booze. Lovely.

"I consider that a blessing to be honest with you," I said, turning to get in the truck. He grabbed my arm and held it so tight I cried out.

"Ow! Juan, let me go!" I screamed. Sky got out of the truck.

"Let her go!" she cried, slapping at his hand.

"Don't disrespect me, you cowardly little bitch. Still obsessed with Michael Jackson?" he whispered, ignoring Sky.

"Your breath stinks. Lay off the booze for once," I said, glaring at him. He slapped me and I fell to the ground.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" I heard a voice scream out as Sky knelt by me when he raised up. He looked at the source of the voice and Sky knelt over me to protect me incase he decided to come after me again. We followed his eyes to the voice and saw the stranger in red.

He was gorgeous. He was dressed in black pants and a blood red button up shirt that was tucked in. His hair was long on black and pulled back into a loose ponytail. It looked like it was permed. He stood there with his fists clenched, glaring at Juan.

"He...he looks like..." I whispered.

"Michael's lovechild? No...what would he be doing here?" Sky mumbled, still hovering over me.

"This is none of your business freak! Get lost!" Juan growled at the man.

He folded his arms and gave a weird looking grin. "Yea...I don't think so." He took a few steps closer and helped me and Sky up, then pushed us behind him. "You really think treating innocent girls like this is what a man does? Pathetic," he snorted. Sky and I looked at each other nervously.

"Hey..." I stepped forward and touched the stranger's shoulder. "I appreciate the kindness, but he really isn't one to mess with. He doesn't fight fair..." the stranger smirked at me and Sky grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"Yee have little faith....step back ladies..." he whispered and then looked back at Juan, who now held a crow bar in his hand and ran at the stranger. Sky pulled me away and we hunched into a small ally nearby and watched as Juan and this stranger went at it. He swung that crow bar around like crazy and the stranger somehow dodged every swing.

"Damn..." Sky whistled. "He's got mad skills."

"Yea..." I agreed. We watched as the stranger got in a few blows and knocked Juan to the ground. He took the crow bar and Juan covered himself, expecting to get nailed by the bar. Instead, the stranger threw it at Juan's feet and stepped away.

"Don't touch these girls again, or I won't be going easy on you next time," he snarled and then walked away. Sky started to get up to follow him and I grabbed her arm and pulled her back down into the shadows.

"Wait...I don't want him to see us yet." I bit my lip. Sky eyed me.

"Did you not just hear him? He's not gonna let that asshole ex of yours get anywhere near us now. Come on..." Sky got up and I followed her. Juan raised up and snarled at us and I looked away, following Sky. We walked around the corner and found the stranger leaning against a post with his hands in his pockets.

"You ladies alright?" he asked. We both nodded and he smiled. "Good to know. I'm Mikey Jay," he held his hand out to us and I slowly took it.

"Hi...um, I'm Melody," I whispered. My eyes never left his and he kissed the back of my hand. He looked at Sky and she smiled widely and pranced up beside me. I watched her make a fool of herself too many times, but I guess she was already over the Juan thing.

"I'm Sky. Nice to meet you Mikey," she took his hand and he kissed hers as well. She blushed brightly and I giggled.

_**awww isnt he cute? badass he is...i wonder who this man really is. *ponders* :D**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**you all know who owns who and im tired of repeating myself...for real...and keeping up with Rebecca on this is kinda hard lol but shes keeping the story going...so i have to give her most of the credit here. anyways...read on!**_

_**Melody POV**_

After talking for a few minutes, Sky decided it was safe enough to head home and Mikey agreed and walked us to the car. Sky opened the door, and Mikey Jay helped me inside. He had insisted on following us home, so we wouldn't have troubles with Juan. Once we got home, Mikey took the key from Sky and opened the door for us.

"Bathroom is through here," Sky said.

"I'm fine," I murmered. Sky rolled her eyes at me.

"No, you're bleeding," Mikey said softly. That would explain the burning discomfort in my arm. We went to Sky's bathroom. That's where the first aid kit was.

Sky took a washcloth and washed all the dirt off my face, and off the scrapes on my arm. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, and groaned. I had a shadow forming on my cheek and my eye looked a little swollen.

"I thought I was done looking like this," I said, ready to cry.

"Hey, that's not your fault. We didn't know he was going to be at the club tonight," Sky said. She looked around. "Crap, Mikey went back to the living room. Is it scary how much he looks like...well, you know," she said.

"Yeah, it is," I said. "But it's a good thing he came out when he did." Sky poured alcohol on my arm, and I screamed. I couldn't help it.

"Big baby," Sky teased as she fanned her hand across my arm to make the burning go away.

"You know I hate that mess," I said, still cringing from the burning. She wrapped my arm up and we went to the living room. Sky went to the kitchen, rummaging around for something.

"Are you okay?" Mikey asked, looking at me with a mildly amused expression on his face. He was sitting on the edge of the couch.

"Yeah. Just a low pain tolerance," I said, sitting in the armchair. I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to stop.

"It's not going to go away that fast," Mikey murmered. My eyes popped open.

"What are you talking about?"

"The pain. Your arm may be sprained, so that will take a couple days to get over. Believe me, I know." he said.

"Oh," I said. I leaned back and half closed my eyes again.

Mikey reached for a remote. "May I?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. He turned the TV on low, and started flipping through channels. Sky came back, with three drinks.

"You know, Melody, you have a very interesting taste in men," Mikey said, after taking two of the glasses and handing me one.

"Um, that isn't the guy I met in high school. Or at least, my freshman year. I graduated without him in my life. Tonight was the first time I've seen him in a year," I said.

"He's really not a good guy," Sky said. "Seriously...he never was."

_**Sky's POV**_

Melody kept giving me a warning look and I just kept talking. I don't know what it was about this guy, but I felt like I could just spill my guts to him and he wouldn't judge at all.

"You're one to talk," Melody snapped at me. "What about the guys you've been with?" she asked and then turned to Mikey. "Every scar of hers tells a different story."

I blushed and covered my arm and Mikey raised a brow at me. "Yea...well my ex didn't attack me tonight, so don't turn this around on me chicka," I shot back and Melody shrugged.

"So...why did your ex attack you?" Mikey asked.

Melody looked away and I saw the pain in her eyes. "Uh...we better get you to bed Mel. You look exhausted," I got up and helped her to her feet with the help of Mikey.

"Come on you two, I'm a grown woman. I don't need anyone to tuck me in," she said, jerking her arm away from us. She turns on her heels and walks a few steps towards her door and her ankle rolled and she fell against her doorframe.

"Mel..." I sighed and walked over to her. Mikey already beat me to her and had her back on her feet.

"Not very graceful, are you?" Mikey grinned. Mel shook her head and we walked her to her bed and set her down. When Mikey looked at the walls, he paused and then grinned widely.

I watched him for a minute and smiled at him. "Yea, we are fierce MJ fans around here. Are you a fan?" I asked.

"You could say that," he looked around and sighed. After a few minutes, Mel was fast asleep and we snuck out of her room and went back to the living room. "Are you and Melody sisters?"

I crossed my legs and sipped on my drink. "You could say that," I mocked him and he rolled his eyes. "No, we aren't but we might as well be. We've been friends for years."

"So, I take it you two have been MJ fans for a while?"

"Oh yes. We've been fans ever since we first saw him dance. The first moonwalk. We saw every film he ever made, every interview...we even managed to stand in the crowd when he went through all those horrible trials..." I paused when I noticed Mikey wince a little and look away.

"So loyal. Did you ever get to meet him?" he asked.

"No," I sighed. "We wanted to so badly. We always knew he had the purest heart and we wanted to share some of our love with him. Hoping to help heal his heart, you know? We planned on going to London when he announced his final tour, but then he passed away." I blinked back some tears and Mikey moved next to me and took my hand.

"I think he's smiling right now, honestly. As loyal as you and Melody are to him, and even now, carrying on his legacy by dancing like him...its amazing."

"Yea...you know you're pretty amazing yourself. You must have been an MJ fan yourself to be able to dance almost exactly...like...him..." my sentence wondered off and I stared into his eyes. Something about him seemed way too familiar. He blinked a few times after a minute and stood up, stretching.

"Thanks for the compliment. I'd better get going. I'll write my number down for you and Mel incase you ever need help, or a shoulder to cry on," he grinned. I nodded and handed him a pen and paper. He wrote his number down and kissed the back of my hand. He paused and then kissed the other and I raised a brow at him. He grinned. "One for you and one for Melody. See you soon," he winked and walked out the door.

I closed it and locked it and put my hand over my heart. When I opened my eyes, Mel was standing in her doorway. "So...you saw it too, didn't you?" she asked.

"I don't know what I saw. Something about him is just very familiar..."

"Yea, and we need to find out what it is." she pondered and I stared at the wall for a minute before realizing Mel was up when she should be resting and healing.

"Right well let's ponder this another time. You need to rest. Do you need anything before I go to bed?" she smiled and shook her head.

"I'm alright. Thanks for looking out for me Skylie." she hugged me and I hugged her gently, trying not to hurt her.

"Hey, thats what sisters do, right? Besides, I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you. I'm not about to let some crazy ass ex of yours take you from me. And maybe I'm not strong enough to protect you like I'd like to, but now we got backup," I smiled and held up the paper with his number on it.

"Yea...I guess something good did come out of this horrible night," she whispered. We hugged again and went to bed. We both fell asleep after staring at our walls full of MJ pictures. Staring into his eyes always brought us comfort, but this night, there was something more to his eyes than we realized, and we were both determined to figure out exactly what that meant.


	7. Chapter 6

_**sorry for the delay everyone. i came up with new ideas for my first story and ive been pondering on them. i think 2 more chapters to go before its complete. anyway i wanna thank AmberDoodle87...i used one of her characters in this chapter and I hope she doesnt mind. Enjoy!**_

_**MELODY POV**_

I was working at the cafe, doing double shifts. My arm was much better, since I was forced to go get it checked out. Chris found out about Juan's attack on me and he was steaming he called me, I was on break, and sitting on the park bench.

"Mel! How dare you not call me! I would have killed the man!" Chris was saying.

I rolled my eyes. "Hence why I didn't call you," I said.

"Haha, Melodia. But for real, why did he do it?" he asked.

"Cause he's JUAN, Chris. He's a boil on the butt of humanity," I said, frustrated.

"This Mikey kid sounds like a good person," Chris said. "He saved my favorite cuz."

"Yeah, but he's not a kid, Chris. I think he's older than you," I said.

"Really? Well, you think you'll see him again?" Chris asked.

I wondered the same thing, not that I told Chris. "I don't know," I told him.

"Well, if you do, tell him I said thanks," he said.

"I will. My break's almost over, cuz. Call you later?"

"You know it. Love you, chica."

"Love you more, cuz," I said, and I hung up the phone. I walked across the street to the cafe.

I was thinking about Mikey. He looked too much like Michael Jackson, especially those eyes. I was letting Sky do the dirty work about finding out more about our dear hero, Mikey Jay. Cause I had too much to worry about. Since the attack, I've had nightmares. Like, seriously bad nightmares. As in, Bella in New Moon nightmares. Sky was worried about me. Matter of fact, I had a strange suspicion she'd called Chris about it. Hence, his phone call.

These nightmares were scary. I had them when I was dating Juan and for a while afterward, too. It always involved him abusing me in some way, and I couldn't scream or say anything. My voice was on mute.

Not in real life, though. According to Sky, I scream pretty loud. Yeah, with work, me worrying about Juan, the nightmares, and our mystery MJ look alike, I was stressed to the point where I started to lose my focus.

Angie, my boss, noticed. She called me into the office after my shift. "Melody, are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah. I just have a lot on my mind," I said, rubbing my arm instinctively.

"Trust me, Mel. He's not coming in this cafe, unless he wants to be thrown in jail," she said.

"I know. He still scares me, though," I admitted.

Angie smiled. "Tell ya what. Take tomorrow and Friday and the rest of the weekend off. Get some rest. Then come back Monday ready to work. Okay?" she asked. I nodded.

"Thank you," I said. I walked out and walked to the truck. I heard a whistle.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" I yelled out of frustration. It was Juan, again! I turned to face him. He was at the other end of the block. In his hands was a knife.

I wasn't scared. "Please, is that the best you can do? Use a weapon against a defenseless person? Pathetic!" I yelled.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and without turning, I saw Juan run off. I knew who it was. "That's very dangerous, Melody," a soft voice said.

I turned then. "Mikey?" I asked.

"Unless I have a twin I don't know about, who else would it be?" he asked, chuckling.

"That was a pretty silly question. What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I stay at the hotel right over there," he said, pointing across the street.

"Oh. Well, I kind of need to get home," I said. "Sky will be worried."

He frowned. "Melody, he didn't have that knife just to scare you," Mikey said, pointing at the truck. That idiotic ex boyfriend of mine slashed Sky's tires!

""Damn it!" I yelled, stomping my foot.

"Hey, Melody, don't curse. It doesn't suit a lady as yourself. Though the foot-stomping was amusing. I'll give you a ride home," Mikey said.

"I can't ask-"

"You didn't ask. I offered. Come on, before he comes back," he said, offering his hand.

_**Sky's POV**_

I paced in the kitchen until my feet were throbbing. I was so worried about Melody lately. Nights were absolutely horrible at our place. She had these horrible nightmares and I'd wake to her screaming like someone was trying to strangle her to death. Every time I ran into her room to wake her, she would get startled and then remain silent. This went on for a week and I had no idea what to do.

I had made plans to try and hang around Mikey a little more so I could figure out just who he was and why he looked like MJ. Once Melody started having her nightmares again, I had put everything on hold.

"Mel...we have to do something about these nightmares. Why are they back? I thought you were rid of them when you and Juan broke up years ago?" I had asked her the night before.

"I don't really know for sure. After seeing him that night at the club, and the way he handled me...it just brought back memories and I can't get them out of my head."

"Hmm..." I thought. "What you need is a distraction."

"A distraction?" she asked. "Sky...please don't do anything wreckless. I can handle it, okay?"

"Yea, right like you handled it before? Come on! You suffered for 2 years before the nightmares finally quit. I'm not about to let you go through that again. Not when I have means to help you this time."

"Means? Sky don't you dare involve Chris. He will panic and do something stupid!"

"Wasn't planning on it. I have other ideas. In the mean time, I did see the cafe downtown and it had a _Now Hiring _sign in the window. Why don't you try that? It will keep you distracted while I'm at work. Besides, I don't want you coming to the hospital and me having to stitch you up again."

I work for the only hospital in town as a nurse. The night after Juan beat the crap out of Melody, she had started extreme work outs to rid herself of stress (I'd have to break Chris's arm for suggesting such a thing) and she dropped the weight bar on herself and busted her eyebrow open. Of course, Chris was with her so he brought her to me and I stitched her up.

She rubbed the scar and rolled her eyes. "I blame Chris...but I won't do anything stupid like that again. A job does sound nice though."

After she got the job, a few nights after she had started, she began getting paranoid that Juan was gonna find out where she worked and he would stalk her again. I stopped by the cafe and spoke with Angie, the manager, on my way home from work. I even gave her a picture of him and she said she'd keep an eye out and make sure Mel was well protected.

I still paced in my kitchen thinking about the fear she held in her eyes. Something felt like it was about to happen. I picked up the phone and ran my finger over Chris's name and froze. I promised not to involve him, then I moved down the list and found Mikey's name.

"Hey Mikey, it's Sky. I know this is kinda sudden, but I need a favor..."

Later that night, Mikey and Mel walked in together and I stood when I saw the fear once again in her eyes. Mikey smiled at me and threw me my truck keys. "Hey..."

"Uh...hey? What happened?" I asked, looking at Melody. She stared blankly at me and I waved my hand in front of her face. She blinked a few times and then gave me a weak smile. "Don't tell me he showed up..."

"Okay, I won't..." she said sarcastically.

"Don't worry Sky...he uh, wasn't really there to hurt her this time. Atleast he didn't get the chance to before he saw me. Thanks for the call by the way."

"Wait...you called Mikey?" she asked me and I nodded. She turned back to him. "So that's how you knew where I'd be...but..." she turned and glared at me. "Why did Chris have to know? You promised you wouldnt-"

"She didn't..." Mikey interrupted. "I called him incase I needed backup. I know its unlikely, as awesome as I am," he brushed his shoulders off with a grin in attempt to lighten the tension in the room.

"Right...okay so if he wasn't there to hurt you...what was he there for?" I asked.

"Uh..." Mel looked nervously at Mikey and he bit his lip. "He had this knife..." Mel looked away and I started getting mad.

"What did he do?" I stomped.

"Let's just say you need new tires..." Mikey mumbled.

"WHAT?!? What did that mother..." I clenched my fists and paced. I was better than this...I had to stop cursing. Michael never cursed when he was alive. I had to do right by him. I took a deep breath and dug my nails into my palms until they bled. Mikey and Mel grabbed both of my arms.

"He slashed your tires trying to get to me, Sky. I'm so sorry..." Mel rubbed my arm and I relaxed a little but kept my teeth clenched.

"Wasn't your fault..." I growled.

"Hey, relax. I'll buy you brand new tires in the morning. How's that sound?" Mikey offered. I stopped and both Melody and I stared at him. "What?"

"Okay we have to know...what do you do for a living? How can you afford brand new tires?" Melody asked. He shrugged and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well...I have done some dancing...and I did a few CD's in my time. On the side however, I'm the co-manager at the zoo downtown. Well co-manager/vet."

"What? You're a vet? That's so sweet," I said and Melody nodded. "What's even cooler is the CD thing....I didn't know you could sing. Maybe we could all get together in a studio and make a cover CD as a tribute to Michael." I smiled.

"That sounds great Sky...do you think Siedah will let us use her studio?" Mel asked.

"She should...she owes me for splinting her leg for her for no charge." I grinned.

"Uh...sure a cover...maybe I'll just come along and listen to what you girls can do and I'll join in when I find a good spot," Mikey said. We looked at each other strangely and then looked back at him.

"You're not gonna sing with us?" Melody asked.

"I will I just have to...feel the music before I can start singing. It's the same for dancing with me. I have to feel it first, you know?" he paced a little with his hands linked behind his back. He seemed alot like MJ at that moment. No one had ever said anything about feeling music other than myself and Melody before. "Anyway, I had your truck towed here. I'll come by with someone to have new tires put on it tomorrow. If you'd like, I'll stick around and give you both a ride to work."

"Uh...sure. Thanks Mike..." I said and my heart skipped a beat when I had realized what I called him. He froze for a minute and then smiled and hugged us both, planting a kiss on our cheeks and then left.

"Wow...did you hear that intake of breath he had when you called him Mike?" Melody asked. I tapped my chin.

"Yea...weird huh?"

"Very."


	8. Chapter 7

_**Melody's POV**_

"This is getting ridiculous!" Sky finally said while she was visiting me at work. People turned to look at her.

I glared at her from behind the counter. "No, that outburst was ridiculous. What if Angie thinks I'm not treating the customers well?"

"Please, Angie knows I'm not a customer. Just a nuisance. Your job is safe. No, what's ridiculous is that you still keep having nightmares! Which probably means-"

"Juan is still hanging around, yeah," I said, walking over to take my new customer's order. When I sent it to the kitchen I walked back to Sky.

"You said that like you know for sure," she said, suspiciously.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't. I just have nightmares everytime he's around."

"What is up with you? You act like something's stuck up your butt," Sky teased.

"Nope. I'm just extremely tired," I said, yawning for good effect.

"Yeah, cause you don't get enough sleep. Screaming all night. I need sleep too, you know," Sky said. I ignored that comment, doodling on my order pad.

"You know, a certain someone thinks you should talk to him more often," Sky said finally, seeing I wasn't going to answer her.

"I talk to Chris everyday. He always checks in. It's getting annoying," I said.

"Nope."

"What do you mean, nope?" I asked. I looked at the clock. 4 PM. Quitting time. I went to the back and clocked out, then grabbed my purse.

"Mikey called yesterday, and asked how you were doing," Sky said, getting into her truck with the brand new tires.

"What did you tell him?" I asked, buckling my seatbelt.

"That the nightmares were getting better."

I was shocked. "You lied?"

She nodded guiltily. "I said you were still having them, though. And he said 'If she wants, she can come talk to me.' ," she said.

"I'm still stuck on the part where you lied to an MJ lookalike," I said.

"It was a little white lie. It didn't hurt anything," Sky said defensively.

"I wonder why you see him more," I said.

"He thinks you avoid him. His feelings are kind of hurt," Sky said.

I looked at her sharply. "What? Why?"

"Because everytime he's on the phone or at the apartment, you're either working or sleeping."

"That's because I am working or sleeping. I can't get a goodnights sleep," I said as she pulled into the parking lot of our apartment complex.

When we walked up the steps to our door, there was a box. Sky peered into it and went "Awww!"

"What?" I asked, looking in the box. I saw what caused her reaction. With a bright gold bow around its neck, there was a black Labrador puppy sitting up so pretty. It looked up to me with its tongue hanging out, and its tail wagging.

Sky picked it up. "It's a boy!" she said, as if she were announcing a real baby. I rolled my eyes and looked in the box. There was something else. I picked up a dreamcatcher and a letter.

_Melody and Sky -_

_I figured you needed a guard dog. He is very playful, but when needed he's protective as well._

_And Melody, there's a dreamcatcher. Here's hoping you get rid of the nightmares and I hope you only have pleasant dreams._

_I'll see you soon._

_Love MJ_

Sky was practically jumping in her seat.

"What are we going to name him?" I asked.

"Nacho," Sky said.

I smiled. "Why?"

"Just came to me. He's a Nacho."

I looked at the dog and tried to think of another name. He grinned back and licked my shoe. "Fine. Nacho it is," I said. I went to my room with the dreamcatcher, and hung it on my headboard. I hoped it would work.

_**Sky's POV**_

Mikey had stuck to his word, and that morning he showed up with a friend and had brand new tires put onto my truck. Of course, my truck apparently had a severed fuel line, thanks to my best friend's sorry excuse for an ex. Mike's friend offered to stay behind and fix it and Mikey took Mel and I to work. We dropped Mel off first.

"I'll come by when I get off. You better call me if you see him again," I warned Mel.

"I will, I will," she rolled her eyes.

"Or me...on the other hand I don't really have alot to do today, so I could always stick around and..."

"No...I'll be fine. I don't need a guard dog. Not to say you're a dog or anything..." Mel shrugged.

Mikey laughed. "Sure, sure. Call if you need anything then. I'll be close by, but I won't be a _guard dog,_" he said, using his fingers for quotation marks. I laughed and Mel smirked and walked inside. I stared out the window the whole way to the hospital. We were about 10 minutes away when Mike decided to break the silence. "So, you lied to me."

"Huh?" I jumped from my silent thoughts and looked at him.

"You said she was better. She doesn't look better, and neither do you," he raised an eyebrow at me and my heart skipped a beat. A picture of Michael flashed in my head that I had seen on the internet. One that had that same look he just had in his younger days. "So, what's wrong?" he asked and I blinked a few times.

"I...I don't really know, Mike. One day she's fine, and the next, she starts having these horrible nightmares again. I worry about her," I bit my lip and looked back out the window. I would've lied again, but he could read me so well. There was no sense in lying to him.

"Sounds like this isn't the first time it's happened," he said quietly, staring at the road in front of us.

"No, it isn't. It started when she was dating the ass..." I paused when he shot me a look and I blushed and put my hands in my lap. "that jerk..." I corrected myself and he smiled and nodded. "Anyway, after she finally got away from him, it took her 2 years to get over the nightmares. I just don't want it happening again."

"Hm, I see. Do you recall what it was that stopped the nightmares last time?" he asked as though he was thinking outloud.

"Dancing. She really got into dancing. She took some classes, some ballet, some ballroom dancing, others were hip hop. We took a few hip hop classes together actually. That seemed to be distraction enough and eventually the nightmares ended."

"So that's all we need. We just need to get her distracted long enough until the nightmares end," he smiled, and then frowned. "But we must make sure to keep that lowlife away from her."

"Yea..." I agreed. "That's another reason why we should do this tribute to MJ, you know? I think it might keep her distracted long enough," I shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I think we're here and we should talk about this later," he nodded towards the windshield and I noticed we were in front of the hospital. I knew he was avoiding the subject for a reason, but once Mel was with me, she'd help me corner him and we'd get something out of him.

After work, I hitched a ride from one of my co workers to the cafe, and I started thinking about the nightmares again. Mel had claimed they were getting better, but her eyes said something different. As I thought about it, I had realized she was hiding it from me. She must have buried her face in her pillow so I wouldn't hear her scream. I started getting myself frustrated and I decided to confront her.

_Later..._

"Little Nacho...come here boy!" I called. The puppy barked and ran over to me, jumping into my arms and knocking me on the floor. I laughed and Mel started laughing from the kitchen.

"So sweet of him, wasn't it? He's so cute!" she cooed and sat down on the floor beside me and giggled when Nacho jumped into her lap playfully.

"Who? Nacho or Mikey?" I teased.

"Well...both," Mel shrugged and I laughed.

"What do you bet he did this because you called him a guard dog?" I joked. Mel's eyes lit up and she got up and read over the note again.

"He didn't! Oh lord, he did!" she acted mad for a second and then she started laughing. "He's crazy."

"Oh speaking of which, I need your help with something..." I said and Mel lifted her brow at me and then sat back down across from me. Nacho jumped back and forth from me to her as we talked. "I've been trying to get him to agree to help us do the cover for the MJ tribute, but he keeps changing the subject on me. Today, I almost got an answer from him but then we arrived at the hospital and he said we'd talk later. So, next time he comes over, we need to corner him and get an answer out of him. What do you say, partner in crime?" I grinned when she tapped her chin.

"Sounds like a plan. I wonder why he acts so funny when we talk about Michael...what are the odds that...?" she paused when a knock came to the door. Nacho started barking at the door and Mel smiled. "Come in!" she said in a sing song voice.

Mikey walked in and Nacho bit his pant leg and tugged at it. "Hey hey, I'm not the enemy!" he laughed.

"Good dog!" Mel called. Nacho let go and sat in her lap.

"Nacho is a pretty good guard dog, don't you think? Wonderful idea. Thanks Mike," I smiled at him and he grinned. "What?"

"Nacho? Why did you call him that?" he asked.

I shrugged. "He looks like a Nacho, geeze. Quit judging me!" I huffed and folded my arms. "By the way, since we're all here...let's discuss this cover!"

Mikey bit his lip and slowly sat down. "Okay, all I can tell you is I will go along for the ride and jump in when I feel the music..."

"Woa woa, cool your jets, turbo," Mel held her hands up. "We just wanna know if you will help us by singing with us, that's all. Calm down."

"Sorry, I had too much coffee today," he shrugged and took a deep breath. "I'll help you of course. What are friends for?"

"Great. Let's figure out which songs we're gonna cover first. What do you think Mel?" I asked.

"I definitely wanna do You Are Not Alone...and Smooth Criminal. What about you?" she asked me.

"Hmm...I wanna do Give Into Me and Another Part Of Me. Mike?" I asked him and he paused.

"Come on, Mike. Which one?" Mel encouraged him.

"Uh...I always liked Man In The Mirror, and Dirty Diana. I think we should do Wanna Be Startin Somethin for the first track. Kinda like I...he did in a few of his concerts," he scratched his head and me and Mel glanced at each other. I knew she caught his correction when I did. "Anyway, if you all are okay for the evening, I'm gonna go back to the hotel and go to sleep."

"Sleep sounds nice," Mel said and stretched. She hugged us both and grabbed a bottle of water and headed to bed. Nacho curled up on the couch and I pet his head and turned to Mike just before he reached the door.

"Wait," I said and grabbed his hand. "Don't go." He stopped and looked at me curiously. "I won't hassle you anymore about the CD anymore, I just...I don't feel right about you leaving us tonight. Can you stay?" I knew I sounded so childish to him. I had the strongest feeling this wasn't just a random MJ look alike. In fact, my suspicion was that he really was him. But how could that be? Michael died so long ago, and he didn't look this young.

Mikey put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me from my thoughts. "I know you're still worried about Mel and her nightmares. Of course I'll stay. Go get yourself comfortable and I'll get us some hot chocolate."

I smiled. "Okay." After I said goodnight to him, I went to my room and stared at the many pictures of MJ and started thinking outloud. "Could it really be true? Are you still alive and sleeping one room away? But how...why would you keep yourself from all the people who love and care about you for so long? People hurt you that much, that's why. I understand now. Too many people added so much pain and broke your heart..."

"Sky?" Mel peaked in and I sat up. I rubbed my eyes and raised up.

"Mel...are you okay?" I whispered.

"Yea...I'm so glad he's staying here tonight. I came to ask you if you're thinking the same thing I am."

I hesitated and bit my lip. "I am..." I paused and looked at the eyes of MJ hanging on my wall. "I just wanna know for sure..."

"Everything okay in here ladies?" Mike poked his head in and me and Mel both took a sharp breath in and slowly exhaled.

"We're good. Just had another bad dream," Mel said.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping in a little more.

"Mhm," she nodded. "I am now." Mike nodded and went back to the couch. I looked at her waiting for an explanation as to why she lied to him when she had just gotten onto me for doing the same thing. "I didn't lie, I really did have a dream. Juan was here, and he came after me and you, but Mike showed up before he could touch us. He was dressed as the Smooth Criminal and he beat Juan up pretty good. Then cops showed up and arrested him. Afterwards, he sat us down and explained he was the real Michael Jackson, and he was counting on us to keep his secret."

I nodded after a minute of silence. "Well...if that's the case, then we will keep his secret, won't we?" I winked at her and she smiled and nodded and soon went back to her own room and fell into a deep sleep. That night, Mikey slept on the couch with Nacho by his feet. Both Mel and I slept soundly under his protection for the first time in years.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Melody's POV**_

"Psst...Mikey..." I whispered, nudging Mike who was curled up in a deep sleep on our couch. He grumbled and turned over and I frowned. Sky came out of her bedroom and stretched.

"Good morning," she smiled. "What are you doing to him?" she raised her brow at me when she saw me leaning over the couch.

"Eh...I was attempting to see what he wanted for breakfast but he's too lazy to get up," I shrugged. Sky walked over and poked him in the side and he groaned and smacked her hand away and we both chuckled.

"What a shmuck," Sky rolled her eyes. "I'll bet he'll get up when the smell of your homestyle eggs and sausages fills the room."

"Is that your request?" I asked, grinning. Sky nodded like a kid and I laughed and headed for the kitchen. Just as she suspected, Mike was up the second he smelled the sausages.

"Smells wonderful," he stretched and dragged his feet into the kitchen. "Can I help with anything?"

"Nope, Sky and I got it. Thanks though...go sit down. Sky will make you a plate when it's done."

"Ahem. Sky will do no such thing for a lazy mary," Sky folded her arms and smirked at Mike. He made the same look she did and huffed at her.

"Okay, children let's be adults here," I laughed.

"Right. I'll make my own plate," Mike looked away from Sky with his nose in the air and made her laugh. "So what has you two in such a wonderful mood this morning?"

Sky stretched and made everyone a plate and made me sit down. I don't know what it was with me and dishes, but I just couldn't sit and eat knowing there was a mess in the kitchen. Sky hated that about me and she always made me sit and eat.

"This is the first restful sleep we've had in years," Sky stretched. "I feel energized for once."

"Yea same here," I agreed. "Hey...by the way, we should go out to the studio later this afternoon and get started. You want to?"

Sky nodded and Mike sank down a little in his chair. "What? You didn't think we would've forgotten, did you?" Sky asked him.

He shook his head. "No, it's not that. I just have a few things I need to do today. I'll meet up with you two later. Text me the address later," he said. He stood and cleaned his plate in the sink and left soon after that.

Sky and I finally made it to the studio on a unusually cold (for Texas) December afternoon. Sky had gotten a text from Mikey saying he would be there when he got done taking care of business. I figured he meant stuff at the zoo. I'm suprised neither of them asked me about my nightmares during breakfast this morning. The nightmares had eased some, but the fear was still there. Some nights I'd be too tired to dream.

Others, the nightmares got worse. Juan throwing me into a fire, him harming Sky and Mikey, among other things. I knew Sky had told Mikey, but it didn't bother me. What bothered me is the constant presence of my cousin Chris.

Last night he'd went to Juan's place. His mother told him that he didn't live there anymore. He moved to Smithfield. A town about ten miles from Joy.

"Yoo-hoo, Mel! Come off of that black cloud you're ridin on. What song you wanna do?" Sky asked.

I was wanting to do "You Are Not Alone" but at the moment I was wanting something more upbeat. "Scream Louder," I said, taking off my jacket.

Sky looked shocked. "From the remix album?" she asked, her eyes big. I nodded. "Let's do 'I'll Be There' to warm up, first," she said, laughing. I laughed and agreed.

Sky had some great pipes as she sang Michael's part, and I did Jermaine's.

After we were done, I was pumped. "Okay, 'Scream Louder' now," I said.

Sky looked at me curiously. "Why that song, Mel?" she asked. "I mean, your favorite song is 'You Are Not Alone'."

"I don't know..." I said. Sky put her hands on her hips and stared at me and I shrugged. "I guess I'm just upset because Juan is making my life a living hell. I'm angry. Scream is a angry kind of song. I feel better after I sing it, and I can dance to the remix better than the original," I said.

Sky laughed. "Do the thing, then! " She hit play.

"I need a partner to sing with, dur! It is a duet," I said. Sky smiled and placed her mike far from me so I could have room to dance.

When I heard Michael's voice, I smiled. I started dancing instantly. Sky did Janet's part, and I put all my anger into singing Michael's verses. When the dance break came, I just did my best to rid my body of all the anger, fear and craziness that the past months had put in me. Sky did pretty well keeping up with me herself. Hopefully, she would have danced out some of her stress as well.

After the song ended, I hit the floor, trying to catch my breath. Sky was laughing and panting.

"What?" I asked.

"Got enough energy to record some more songs? Looks like you put your all into that dance," she said, helping me up.

As we were getting ready to hit play for "Give in to Me" we heard something from the next dance studio. There was no question what those opening bars were to.

"Who is playing Billie Jean?" Sky asked.

_**Sky's POV**_

We heard the beginning of that song and looked at each other oddly. I didn't understand who would be here playing MJ songs of all things. The town of Joy's majority weren't really all that fond of MJ, and last I checked, Siedah only allowed us to use her studio.

We snuck around the corner and slid into the other studio. Mel grabbed my arm and pointed to one of the mirrors. When I looked, there was a reflection of Mikey staring at himself. We both gasped. He was in the outfit MJ wore everytime he performed Billie Jean. He pulled up his pant legs and revealed the sparkling socks and the famous dance shoes, and pulled his hand out of his pocket to reveal the single glittered glove.

"Oh my..." I whispered.

"Shh...listen," Mel put her hand to my mouth as we watched. Mikey took a few deep breaths and then started dancing. The track he played was an instrumental version so he could sing himself. Once he started to sing, we instantly knew who he really was.

We watched in awe and just as he did the famous moonwalk, we slid fully into the room and he froze right as he balanced on the tips of his toes. He stumbled backwards and shut the song off and stared at us.

"How long have you been here?" he panted.

"Long enough," Mel said and folded her arms. I stood by her and studied him as if I was in shock, but my mind was working perfectly.

"Michael...?" I whispered. "Is it really you?" I asked, taking slow steps towards him. My body started shaking and he slowly nodded his head.

"Guilty..." he held his arms out slightly and shrugged. After a minute, he grinned his famous grin that made every girl's heart melt. Melody looked at me and put her hand on my shoulder. Tears burned my eyes and I ran to him and hugged him.

"Is it really you? You're not dead...but why...where have you been?" I cried. He smiled and rubbed my back. After a minute, Mel had followed my actions and broke into tears herself. I guess she had decided in the beginning she was gonna get mad and ask questions later, but she's a baby like me. Who could be mad at the King of Pop anyway?

"It is me. I'm sorry I've kept this secret for so long, but I have my reasons. Please...you have to promise me you won't tell anyone," he pleaded.

"Of course we won't," we both said in unison.

"But Mike, can you tell us why this happened?" Mel asked.

"Too much drama. The media has been breathing down my neck for years and it just started getting to me. I was desperate to get away," he explained.

"What about that whole funeral and memorial thing? Your daughter spoke and cried...everyone cried. How can they fake that?" I asked.

"They didn't. At the time, they thought it really was me. In reality, it was just a look alike that I had hired. That's why Murray didn't get his license taken from him when all this happened."

"Okay, so what about the way you look now verses how you looked before?" Mel asked.

"That's the part that needs to stay a secret. I was in extreme denial and I didn't wanna admit I had a drug addiction problem. The day that all this happened, it really was me that went into cardiac arrest, but they did revive me in the ambulance. After me and my double were able to switch, I went into rehab for a year and a half. When I got out, I went to see my family."

"So they know then. That's good." I said.

"Not all of them know. My children know and my mother knows. My brothers and two of my sisters don't know yet. but Janet knows."

"Why don't you tell the rest of them?" Mel asked.

Mike took a deep breath. "Well, I started seeing their new show and it broke my heart the way they talked about the day I had died. How much it hurt them and what hell they were put through. I'm just so afraid to face them, you know? I don't want them to hate me."

"Mike, come on they are family to you. They can never hate you," Mel said. I nodded and rubbed his arm gently.

"Besides, didn't your mother once tell you never to be afraid of your family? They love you. And if you want, Mel and I can go with you for support," I smiled.

"That, or you can just take Nacho," Mel giggled. He smiled and nodded.

"Thanks girls, I really appreciate everything you're doing for me." He hugged us both and we smiled warmly at each other.

"Right, well until then, I still wanna do this CD cover," I rubbed my hands together. Mike and Mel looked at me curiously for a minute and I shrugged. "Hey, it's still a tribute to MJ. No one ever said an artist can't sing on his own tribute CD. Geeze..." I defended myself. Mike and Mel looked at each other and then laughed.

"Alright, let's do this," Mel stood up and brushed her pants off.

"What's next?" I asked.

"Smooth Criminal," Mike said, throwing his glove to the side and pulling out a white fedora hat. "You two have a nice style in that dance, but I have to show you these new moves I've come up with over the last year."

Mel and I laughed. He was like his old self again, before the media had gotten to him. Before the trials, and before the drugs. He was like a kid again. Now the trick would be how to get him prepared to explain to his brothers what he had just explained to us.


	10. Chapter 9

_**Melody's POV**_

Michael Jackson never ceases to amaze me and Sky. We thought we saw it all with every concert he did, every dance move he ever pulled. But we were wrong. Once we broke into Smooth Criminal, a new side of Michael came out that no one had ever seen before. We headed home that night (Michael decided to spend another night), and I was so happy.

Michael grinned at me. "Hey, why don't you smile like that? You'd be a lot less intimidating," he said.

My smile faded a little. "Intimidating?"

"Well, that's not the word I'm looking for. Uptight. There we go," he said.

"Well, tonight we all have something to smile about. It's not everyday you find out your childhood idol who is supposed to be dead is still alive," I said.

Michael smiled. "Touche," he said.

Sky was driving, but she had a silly grin on her face too. We got home, and I was really tired. Mikey-Michael-hugged us both and settled on the couch. I walked to my room and shut the door. When the door closed, reality struck me. Michael Jackson is alive! And he was entrusting us to keep his secret. I wasn't mad for him faking his death. Hell, if I were him, I would have done it too! I put on my CD and turned it to the instrumental version of 'You Are Not Alone'. Then I walked to the window and sat on the seat, drew my knees up to my chest, and stared up at the moon. I hummed the song to myself. I had been listening to it for so long, nearly seventeen years, that it was like a lullabye to me.

I heard a knock at my door. "Melody?"

I turned my head, and saw who it was. It was Michael. "I heard something in here. I thought you were having a nightmare again," he said.

"Come in," I said. I stared back up at the moon.

He sat on my bed, and smiled at my mural. "You know, it was a real dedicated fan who did that," he winked. "I appreciate it so much. How long did it take?" he asked.

"Four hours," I said, smiling a little, but not turning.

Michael laughed to himself. "Remarkable," he whispered. He listened to the music playing. "What is it with you and this song?" he asked finally.

I turned then, and smiled sadly. "When my parents seperated, my dad sang it to me. He told me it was my special song, and if I was ever sad for any reason, to think of that song and remember that things will get better," I said. "It helped me through a lot. My dad leaving, my mom, well, being her, and your..." I hesitated. I just couldn't find it in me to say the word.

"Death?" he offered, smiling. I sighed and nodded. "Well, I like that song too, to tell you the truth. My favorite song of mine is 'Man in the Mirror', but 'You Are Not Alone' is special too. It can relate to almost anything. A lost love, a death, something of that sort," he said.

I smiled. "You have a point. But this song has been in my life as long as I can remember. It's my favorite song of all time," I said. We sat there for a while, as I looked out the window.

"You know, I'm not up there as you used to think," he kidded.

I turned around. "How did you know I used to think you were up there?" I asked.

"A poem you wrote made it on the news one day, not long after I supposably died. Talking about how I can really walk on the moon now, but I was still gone too soon. It touched my heart. You and Sky, I see you as if you were sisters, or wait, you two are kinda young...you two are more like nieces to me, now that I've gotten to know you and all," he said. "You two are very special to me."

That felt like such the nicest compliment, being considered family to Michael Jackson. It gave me guts enough to ask the next question. Or more like a statement.

"Michael you really should tell your brothers. They would be ecstatic that you're alive, and I highly doubt they'd go public about it," I said, then yawned.

"I am so sorry, I didn't mean to keep you up," he said, looking like he felt bad.

"No, it's okay," I said. "But I do need to get to bed."

Michael stood and stretched himself. "Yeah, me too. We have a big day tomorrow," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, you two are going to learn the moonwalk, from the master," he said, grinning. "Goodnight."

I lay in bed and shook my head. I was never good at talking people into stuff. Maybe Sky would have better luck.

_**Sky's POV**_

After we had gone to our rooms, I shut my door and leaned my back against it. I stared at my walls and Michael's smiling face and grinned widely. He was really alive, and he was with us. Melody and my own biggest dream was to meet him, and we got that wish and so much more. I cracked the door open and looked as Michael was leaving Mel's room. He stopped when he saw me looking at him and he grinned and waved. I waved back and blushed and went back into my room, leaving the door open.

"Everything okay?" Michael poked his head in my door just as I was sitting on my bed.

"Mhm, everything's perfect," I smiled and sighed happily.

He chuckled and leaned against the doorframe. "You know, perfection is a little overrated."

"That's what I always used to say...that is until you came back," I smiled and he winked at me.

"Well, I'm anything but perfect Sky. You should know that."

"I know that you're only human, yes. But I also know dreams do come true. At least I'm a believer now. I wasn't before," I admitted.

"Yea, I know the feeling, but that's why you have family, you know. Maybe in you and Melody's case, you are family to each other...and to me now," he paused during that last part and I tilted my head at him in confusion.

"We're family?"

"Of course. You two are very special to me, like family. I'm not gonna let anyone ever hurt you or Melody again. I promise. You two and the fraction of my family who know I'm alive are all I have now," he sighed a little and I stood and walked to him, hugging him. He held me tightly against his chest and sighed again into my hair.

"You really need to talk to the rest of your family. They deserve to know you're alive. They've been hurting so much since you're, uh, passing," I stepped back and looked into his eyes. "I highly doubt they could ever hate you. They might be mad at first, but overjoyed they have you back. Besides, even if they decided to react in a way you couldn't handle, you'll always have a place here with me and Mel. It isn't much, but no one can find you here." I smiled and held his hand.

"Thank you. You need to go to bed, girl. We got some new dance moves to cover tomorrow," he smiled and kissed my forehead and walked to the couch. I sighed and shook my head and walked back to my bed. I looked back as Mike had turned back to close my door and I held up my hand, stopping him. "You don't want your door closed?" he asked.

"Nah," I shook my head. "I don't feel the need to close it now that you're here." He smiled and slipped out into the living room. He curled up on the couch and smiled to himself when he heard Mel's door slip open. We both felt so safe with him here, it was incredible.

The next day, we went back to the studio and Mike was teaching us some of his new moves. We laughed alot because we kept missing quite a few steps. Some points made us fall. Michael ran into the room in his dance shoes and tried to stop abruptly and slid across the floor which made us nearly die laughing.

"Okay okay, fun time is over. Let's focus," Michael laughed. "Melody, come stand here in front of me, and Sky, I want you to stand directly behind her and make sure your feet are where hers are. Follow me and I'll show you how this next move works."

He showed us the move and we tried it on our own. Well, Mel did and I was told to follow so I tried, and failed. We both fell and laughed. Michael rolled his eyes and we got back into position.

"Wait wait, your footing is all wrong. Spread your legs a little more..." Michael got down on all fours and crawled around our feet, sliding our legs into the right position. He crawled behind me and I froze, trying not to laugh. Mel was holding her breath and I could tell she was concentrating. I bit my lip when Michael crawled in between our legs and slid my foot close behind Mel's. His chest and head got under Mel and the rest was under me. Mel looked down as he slid her other foot around and she started laughing. "What's so funny?" he raised his eyebrow from the floor.

"How can I not laugh when you're looking up at me from between our legs? It's priceless!" Mel giggled. I grabbed her shoulders as I started to lose my balance from laughing. Eventually, our laughter got the better of us and we fell on top of him. He rolled onto his back and I was laying on his stomach while Mel was on his chest. He started laughing and he raised up to look at us.

"Wow, I've heard of fans falling for celebrities, but damn..." he whistled and we giggled and rolled off of him. His phone rang shortly after that and he answered it. "Hello? Oh, hey Dunk...yeah," he held up his finger at us and walked out of the room.

"Dunk..." Melody whispered. "That's Janet, isn't it?" she stated more than asked and I nodded. After a minute, he walked back in and threw on his jacket, then tossed us our own. "What's going on?" Mel asked.

"Well, I took your advice, ladies. We're gonna go meet up with Janet and go see my brothers. She's excited to meet you both," he smiled.

"Wow..." I smiled. "I've always loved your sister and wanted to meet her so much," I grabbed my keys and we all headed for the door. I stopped when I realized it had started to snow. "Oh..." my body stiffened and I didn't move.

"Sky?" Michael nudged me. "Come on...let's go...Sky? Helloooo?" he waved his hand in front of my face, trying to make me laugh.

"Skylie?" Mel got in front of me. "Skylie..." she whispered. "Damn..." she looked around for a minute and then looked at Mike. "Do me a favor...sing to her." Michael looked at her curiously.

"Sing what? What's going on?" he asked.

"I'll tell you in a minute, please just sing to her," she pleaded.

"What should I sing?"

"Uhm...what was it? I'll be there...sing that," she said. He nodded and walked in front of me and started to sing. After a minute, I blinked and Michael's face came into focus.

"Sorry...uh...let's get going," I shook my head and took a step forward, only to be pushed back by Mike.

"No, not until you tell me what just happened," he said. I looked at Melody and she had a familiar look on her face. I had another black out and she knew it.

"Allow me," Mel stepped forward. "To make a long story short, Sky was in a bad car accident with her brother/best friend. She was driving in the snow and they went off the road. Her brother didn't make it and when it snows, sometimes she has these blackouts and relives the moment he died," Melody explained.

"Can we please discuss this when we're not on a mission?" I bit back tears and looked away from both of them. I knew if I made eye contact with either one of them, I'd start crying. These blackouts were under control as long as I was distracted, but when I see the snow and I have keys in my hand, they tend to take over.

"Uh, Mike, why don't you drive?" Melody said. Michael nodded and took the keys from me. Halfway to our destination, I was back to my normal self. We met Janet in Dallas. We had a pretty fun drive while it lasted.

"So nice to meet you both," Janet smiled at us and then hugged Michael as if she hadn't seen him in years. She pulled back and wiped a tear away and then smacked his arm. "Don't you ever scare us like that again, Peter!"

"Ouch...sorry Dunk," he grinned and rubbed his arm. He looked at us and shrugged. "This is the first time she's seen me since before my death," he smirked.

"Psh, I'd smack you too if I were her," I snorted and he laughed. We all sat down in this nice resteraunt downtown. Janet had ordered a private room to keep us all well hidden.

"So, the boys will only be here for a short time. Tito, Jackie, and Marlon are about to fly to London. Tito has a show in the arena you were supposed to have your first concert. Jermaine is gonna head to Africa to shoot a new music video," Janet explained.

"Busy men, I see. What about Rebbie and Latoya?" he asked.

"I haven't talked to them yet, but momma says they're staying with her in L.A. the boys are at Jackie's now. If we wanna catch everyone together, then we should leave by tomorrow at the latest."

Mel and I sat quietly and ate as the two famous siblings made their plans. Neither of us expected to be invited. In fact, we were hoping Michael would tell us to wait for him back home. Being around that family during a time like this would be a little nerve racking for both of us. Then again, we were both afraid after reuniting with his family, we'd never see him again. It was a double edged blade.

"Well, then we better get back and pack our things, right ladies?" Michael stood and smiled at us. We jumped and looked at each other. "Hey, you're not afraid of my family are you?" he asked, arms folded.

"No...no it's not that," Mel held her hands up and I looked away.

"We, uhm...we don't wanna be in the middle of a family time, Mike. We can just stay here..." I said quietly.

"You're going back on your word? I thought you said you'd come with me," he pouted and made the saddest face he could manage. We both groaned and shook our heads. He grinned. "Good, let's go pack then."

I looked at Janet, wishing she'd intervene. To tell Mike it was a bad idea to have strangers with him when he breaks the big news to everyone. Janet looked at me and smiled sadly. "Mike...I'm not against them coming, but perhaps once we're about to break the big news, they should wait at a hotel or something."

"Yea, or they could stay in momma's guest house in the back yard. Let me call her and ask," he pulled out his phone and Janet put her hand over his.

"Do it later. Just get them home and packed. I doubt momma will say no, but if she does, they can stay with me at Jackie's," she smiled and hugged us both. "So nice to meet you. And thank you for taking care of my big dope of a brother."

Michael huffed and stuck his tongue out at her. She winked and he hugged her and we left. Michael called his mother on the way back to Joy, and she was happy to offer us a place to stay.

"She said it was the least she could do for two ladies who kept her son safe," Mike rolled his eyes.

"We always loved your mother," Melody sighed happily.

"She's the mother of all mothers," I added. Michael nodded and we headed back home to pack as much as we could, Nacho included.


	11. Chapter 10

_**Melody POV**_

I could not believe it. We were in Katherine Jackson's guest house, with Michael pacing back and forth like he had a date with the firing squad. Sky watched him, with an amused expression on her face. "You know, we are supposed to be the nervous ones," she said.

The look he shot her made her amused expression fall off. Damn, he must be really nervous. I cautiously stood up and walked to him. "Michael, listen. It's gonna be okay. You're a Jackson. The Jacksons don't give up, and they don't turn their backs on family, no matter what," I said.

"You don't understand, they'll think I turned my back on them. I should have told them from the very beginning," Michael said, looking like he was about to cry. I even felt tears of my own coming up.

"Michael, if you don't do it now, you'll be too scared to do it, period," I said.

Sky stood up, questioningly. "Do I need to get Janet?" she asked.

Michael shook his head. "My mother," he said hoarsly.

Yep, the man was a nervous wreck. Sky called Janet and issued Michael's request. In no time, she opened the door, and helped the matriarch of music's Royal family in. Katherine.

"Michael, baby, come here and sit with me," she said, sitting on the couch. "Ladies, have a seat too." We all obeyed. Katherine took Michael's hand. "Now, baby, what have I always told you? About family?" she asked.

"That they'll always be there," Michael whispered.

"Exactly. Now, Miss Morose, if you would please call Janet and alert her that me and Michael are on our way," Katherine said. Michael stood and helped his mother up (I couldn't help melting at the sight of that.), and hand in hand, they walked out the door.

Michael turned. "I'll be back. Just stay here, ok?" he asked. We nodded.

After they had left, something clicked in my mind that when we got back to Joy that snow would be covering the ground, and there may be a chance that Michael would stay here in LA.

"Sky, we need to talk," I said, sitting on the arm of the armchair I was previously sitting in. Sky was laying on the couch.

"About what?"

"About your brother."

Sky immeadiately sat up. "Mel, don't-"

"No, we need to. Cause Michael is really worried. Don't you know there will be snow when we get home? He may not come back with us. We need to talk about it, cause it's destroying you," I said.

This felt so wrong. Normally, it was the other way around. Sky helping me through things. It was a sick role reversal, and I have never felt less adequate to get her to talk about the brother she had lost. I was never good at this sort of thing. Michael would help me, but he had enough on his plate. He looked as if he was about to have another heart attack as it was.

I tried this tactic. "Skylie, c'mon, you know I'm not good at this. I'm not good at getting people to talk about things they don't want to. I thought Michael was goin to be the hard one, but it's not that way this time. I talk to you about everything, but you ain't talking to me," I added for the guilt factor, feeling guilty myself.

Sky sighed, and layed back down. "Ok. It hurts. A lot. I feel so bad, I feel like it was my fault. His wife and child-you know, he never got to see his baby. And the baby will never know her father. That's all on me, Mel. My brother is gone, and my mom probably still resents me for it," Sky said.

I sighed. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" I asked with a small smile on my face.

Sky rolled her eyes. "One of the hardest things I had to do. But you know, I do feel a little bit better, getting it off my chest somewhat. Thanks, Mel."

I sat down in the chair, and turned my MP3 player to "Music and Me". "No problem," I said, my eyes drifting shut.

We were awakened by Michael shaking us awake. He had a smile on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh, Michael," I said, and hugged him. "Who?"

"Marlon," he whispered.

I understood instantly. Marlon and he were closest in age. And Marlon was probably the most hurt by his death, apart from the children, Janet, and his mom. And to think Michael didn't tell him was probably insult to injury.

"He'll come around," Sky said.

"That's what Mother said," Michael said, hugging her. "Are you two ready to meet the others?"

We nodded so he led us out to meet his family, telling us all what had happened.

_**Michael POV**_

Mother had left me out in the hall as she went in. I heard her words, though. "Children, I have a surprise, and it's dealing with Michael. Now, Janet and his kids already know. That's why this meeting was called. I don't want any outbursts until everything is explained. Come on out, now," she called in my direction.

I hunched my shoulders, sighed, and walked in the living room. I sought out my kids first.

"Daddy!" they called and ran to me, hugging me.

Latoya and Rebbie were following them, and they cried and hugged me. I sought out my brothers. All five of them looked shocked, but they each had a different emotion on their face. Jackie looked a little mad, Tito looked happy, Jermaine, scared, Randy was happy too, but the hardest to take in was Marlon. He looked betrayed.

"Michael, please explain why you did this," Mother said, encouraging me with a smile.

I did, giving the same story I'd given the girls a few days ago. After I had finished, with tears shed on my part, and Jermaine and Jackie's, all of my brothers hugged me, except Marlon.

"Marlon, please, say something. Yell, scream if you want," I begged.

He stood and shook his head. "You didn't tell me. You could tell Janet, but you couldn't tell me. Why, Michael? Wait, I don't wanna hear it. I just don't," he said. He picked up his coat and left.

"Baby, don't worry, he'll come around," Mother said.

I looked at Joe, who had actually been quiet the whole time. "Welcome back, son," he said gruffly, hugging me and pating my shoulder. "Marlon will be ok. I'm a little disappointed you couldn't tell us. You think we'd betray you by going to the press? Hell, no! We understand why you faked your death, and I don't blame you. A little warning may have been nice, though," he said.

_**Melody POV**_

"...and that's it. That's how it went," Michael finished.

"Wow," Sky said.

"Now, who wants to meet the Jacksons?" Michael asked in a sing song voice.

I smiled, but I was scheming in my brain. Tomorrow, if Sky was up to it, we were going to go see Marlon, and we were going to try to get him to see things in a clearer light.

_**Sky POV**_

We all walked in and was introduced one by one to the entire Jackson family, except for Marlon. Paris shook our hands and Michael cleared his throat and tapped his foot at them.

"Now Paris, what have I always told you about greeting others? The Jacksons don't shake hands. The Jacksons hug," he smiled at Melody and myself and we both blushed a little. Paris nodded and hugged us both. The rest of the kids followed.

We talked for a while and I started to feel a little uneasy about driving back home. I looked outside and noticed it was beginning to snow and I bit my lip nervously. I shook my head and looked away, hoping no one had noticed. Unfortunately, Mel notices everything.

She touched my shoulder and gave me a weak smile. "It's gonna be okay, you know that right?"

"What if it isn't though, Mel? You don't know that..." I whispered, trying to keep quiet so no one would hear us.

"I know because we are not alone," she winked.

"Are you quoting my songs again?" Michael quirked a brow at Melody and she grinned. I just looked away and sighed. "What's wrong sunshine?" Michael asked me. I looked at him and gave him a fake smile.

"Nothing. Just tired, that's all." I purposely made myself yawn and Mike gave me a weird look and Mel looked at him and mouthed 'I'll tell you later' and he nodded and walked away.

Eventually we said our goodbyes to the family and Michael seemed happier. He insisted on driving back to Joy which shocked both Mel and myself. We weren't expecting him to come back with us at all. I nodded off about halfway home and Melody took that time to explain to Michael what was up with me earlier. Too bad she didn't know I was still partially awake.

"So, she's afraid of the snow?" Michael asked.

"Well, no. Just driving in it. She was driving with her brother in the passenger seat. The roads were covered in ice, but with her brother there, she felt safe and confident. They were laughing and dancing to music. Then an 18 wheeler merged onto their lane and slid right into them. Sky slammed on the breaks and skidded into oncoming traffic. You can probably guess what happened next..." Mel whispered. She eyed me as she spoke, making sure I wasn't awake.

"Head on collision..." Michael whispered.

Mel nodded and continued. "Her car flipped a few times and landed upside down. When she regained consciousness, she found that her brother had been sent through the windshield and thrown from the car a few feet away. She dragged herself out and layed next to him. There was gas leaking everywhere and she smelled it, but she didn't care. Her brother...he died right there in her arms and she couldn't do anything about it. That's why she's in the career that she's in now."

I winced as she told the story. I had my eyes closed and as she retold my story, I was reliving it. I jerked up and gasped as I heard my brother's voice call out my name in my head.

"Skylie?" Michael asked. Mel reached over and grabbed my hand. I blushed a little when he called me by my nickname.

"I'm okay...just a bad dream is all," I breathed. We stayed quiet the rest of the way home. When we got back, Melody was pacing back and forth. I was already laying down. "Mel, will you please quit pacing and let me know what's going on behind that mind of yours?" I grumbled.

Melody stopped and sat on the floor crossing her legs. She sighed. "I'm trying to figure out what to do about Marlon, to tell you the truth," she finally said, putting her chin in her hands.

I sat straight up. "No. Uh-uh, no way. Michael told us to leave him be," I said.

"For now," Melody amended. "He said nada about tomorrow."

"Mel..."

"No. I can't stand to see Michael hurting. I remember when Chris did me that way, and he's my cousin! For Michael and Marlon to be at odds with each other, it's hurting me to see him upset," Melody said, nearly crying.

I could see it now, Michael offering to drive us back, but hurt was on his face. It made me want to cry thinking about it. I couldn't help my brother now, but I could help Michael with his. This thought is what made my decision.

I smiled. "Let's do it," I said.

Melody grinned. "He'll owe us huge."

The next morning, we walked up to Marlon's door, and knocked. A small woman answered. "May I help you?" she asked, looking at us warily.

"We need to speak to Mr. Jackson. His mother sent us," I said. I was the better liar out of the two.

The woman didn't look too bright anyway. "Come on in, I'll take you to him."

We walked in and sat in the living room. Melody looked nervous.

"Don't look so nervous, chickadee. This was your idea," I said.

"Maybe not one of my better ones," Melody admitted.

"C'mon. We're doing this for Michael," I said. She smiled.

"You're right. For Michael," she agreed.

Marlon came in then, and stopped short. "I know you two. Sky and Melody, right? Maria, close the door, I wish to speak with these girls alone," he said.

"Mr. Jackson," Melody began, but Marlon shook his head.

"Marlon," he said.

"Fine. Marlon, do you really understand why Michael did what he did?" she asked.

Marlon sighed and sat down. "Not really, no. What he did hurt so bad. It's such a bad pain, when someone tells you that your brother is gone. Can you girls understand that?" he asked.

I straightened up. "I can. I lost my brother, Marlon. I understand what you're going through. Wait, then again, no. I didn't get my brother back," I said.

Marlon sighed. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid question to ask. But why couldn't he tell me? We told each other everything," he said, tears falling down his face.

"He knew that he needed help. That was his only goal at the moment. You know he really had a heart attack, right? That's why he got the help he needed first. His family was what kept him going through rehab. He used your expressions of grief as motivation, because that could have easily really been him in the casket that day. He kept that thought in his mind, and that's what got him clean," Melody said.

"Why didn't he say that yesterday?" Marlon asked, wide eyed. "I would have understood so much better."

"Well, you told him you didn't want to hear it. No one else needed an explanation beyond the one he gave. You were the one who needed a deeper explanation, which he would have given, if you hadn't have thrown your temper tantrum," I said, beginning to get angry.

Marlon had no idea of how lucky he was, to get Michael back. I could see him beginning to speak, but I cut him off. "You act like you would rather have him dead than to do what he did. Don't you realize anything? When he died, I bet you had some things you regretted doing, regretted not saying, didn't you? Don't you see that you have a second chance to do all of those things over? But no, you tell him you don't wanna hear it? You are so selfish! I don't get those second chances that you get to have. Your brother is alive. Mine isn't. Why can't you be thankful that you get a do-over?" I asked angrily.

Melody looked shocked. Marlon did too. Finally, he wiped his eyes and sighed. "I didn't realize, no. You have such a great point. But, Sky, I am happy that he is alive. I was hurt, but I didn't have a right to do what I did yesterday. You wouldn't happen to have Michael's number, would you?"

Melody smiled. I was still a little mad. She gave it to him and he picked up his cell and punched in the number.

"Michael?...It's Marlon...yeah? Oh, trust me don't worry about them...could you come over? I have some things I'd like to tell you...the girls are here-"

"Oh, damn, we're dead," Melody whispered, scared.

"Your idea," I muttered.

"-Ok, bye then," Marlon said. He glanced at us both, amused. "He's not very happy with you two," he said.

"Yeah, well, he told us to leave you be, but some people just don't listen," I said, nudging Melody.

"I just can't stand seeing Michael hurting," Melody said. "He's helped us, I wanted to help him in return."

The doorbell rang then, and Marlon went out to answer it. Melody and I fought each other to peer out the door. I won. Melody made do with looking under the door.

What we saw made us both cry. Marlon opened the door, and grabbed Michael, and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Michael. Sorry, sorry, sorry," he said.

Melody got up and walked back to the seat where we'd vacated earlier. I followed her as I saw Marlon and Michael walk back towards us. Michael looked at us and sighed. "I'm supposed to be mad at you two, but I can't be. How did-"

"Well, it was Mel's idea,"

"But Skylie made him really see-"

"Enough," Michael said, hugging us both. "Thank you. Both of you."

And with that hug, we both shut up.


	12. Chapter 11

_**Melody POV**_

"I asked you a question when I first met you that you did not answer."

Michael was lounging in a chair in the guest house. Sky was at the beach, with Janet and Rebbie and the kids. I decided to stay behind with the brothers. When Michael said that, I paused. I thought of everything he'd asked me, and I came up blank.

"I asked why Juan treated you the way he did, and you didnt answer," Michael said, standing and helping me fold a blanket.

"Oh," I said. "Would you want me to tell you?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "No, I want you to suffer," he said, putting the blanket away.

I laughed lightly though his words did sting a little. He saw that, and his eyes went sad. "I'm sorry, Melody. That was very rude," he apologized.

"No, it's okay, you were just being sarcastic," I said.

"But I would like to know. Maybe it would help me understand you better," Michael said, sitting back down.

"Understand me better? What?" I asked.

Michael grinned. "I understand how Sky is sometimes. But you, well, there's one, I know. Taj called you pretty the other day, and you looked too scared to smile. I knew what Juan did so I know that's the reason why you're scared of most guys. But I don't know why he saw fit to treat you like dirt. You know the reason why, so what is it?" he asked.

I sighed and pulled the bad memory from my file. "I was supposed to marry him. The day before our wedding, I told him I wasn't going to do it. After that, well, you can guess the rest," I said.

"Why didn't you marry him?" Michael asked.

"Michael, I was seventeen. I wasn't ready to be little miss housewife," I said.

"That is understandable. No reason for him to treat you like trash," Michael said point blank. I take it the subject was closed. "So, that's why you're scared of any commitment. That's not healthy, Mellie," Michael said.

Oh, so the subject wasn't closed. "I know. It takes time," I sighed.

Michael stood and hugged me. "Don't let it take too much time, or even the guy who can fix you may walk away," he said.

"What guy?" I said, pulling away and grinning.

"What's this I hear of a David Quentin?" Michael said, grinning back.

I'm going to kill Sky. Like, as soon as she gets back. "He's...a friend," I murmered as my phone buzzed.

I looked and had a hard time keeping my expression calm. I had gotten a new text message.

_"No use in hiding from me, Melodia. I always find you. Enjoy your vacation._

_Juan."_

"Who was that?" Michael asked, nonchalantly.

"Nobody," I murmered, erasing the message. "I'm going to the beach, to think about what you said."

"Okay."

I walked to the pier, and began to fret. It was late in the day, and the sun had nearly all set. I sat on a bench, and thought. I thought about Juan, where he was, and what was he planning. I considered for a very brief moment just jumping off the pier, but that would hurt Sky beyond anything. Suicide was not the answer.

Finally, I got angry. Who was Juan to force me to consider this? He wasn't anyone to me! No one important. In that moment, I flipped open my phone and sent a message.

_"Meet me tonight. Under the Santa Monica pier. NO ONE ELSE!"_

Grinning, I sent it to him. Knowing him, he'd think we were meeting for a rendez-vous. Good, that's what I wanted him to think. All those self-defense classes were going to come in handy.

_**Sky POV**_

I enjoyed my time at the beach with some of the Jacksons. I never had been to the beach before and it was so nice of them to invite me along. When we all got back to the house, Michael was grinning at me oddly.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing," he looked away. "Mel is waiting for you in the front room."

"Oh geeze...what did you do?" I asked. He shrugged and walked away and I groaned. I walked into the front room to find Melody tapping her foot at me. "Uh...hi...?"

"Don't you hi me. Why did you tell Michael about David? You know he's just a friend!" she stomped and I grinned.

"Yeah...sure he is. That's why you moan his name in your sleep," I laughed and she frowned and threw a nearby pillow at me.

Later that evening, we said goodbye to everyone. Michael told us he was gonna spend the night at Jackie's place with the rest of his brothers so they could catch up. They wanted Michael to help them set up a concert as well and he said it was the least he could've done. He wanted to make it up to his family for faking his death.

He hugged Melody and I and we left. We stayed up a while and watched a movie. I noticed Melody was acting a little strange. She stared off into space most of the night and didn't speak hardly at all.

"Mel? Helllooooo....?" I poked her with my foot. I was laying on my side on the couch and she was sitting at the other end with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"What?" she jumped.

"I said do you want more popcorn?" I held up the bowl and she shook her head.

"I'm gonna turn in for the night. I'll see you in the morning."

"Uh...okay...? Are you feeling alright?" I asked.

"Yep. Night." She closed the door behind her and I shrugged. I cleaned up the living room and locked the front door before going to bed myself. It was kinda funny how every door was shut and locked at night when Michael wasn't around. I guess we were a little insecure to say the least.

_**Melody POV**_

I dressed in a black shirt that Marlon had lent me (he knew something was up, he just didn't know what) and my black workout pants. I put on every ring I had and wrapped my wrists and hands in black ace wraps. I put on my black tennis shoes and put my hair in a pony tail. I prayed to God that no one would know what I was up to.

I quietly took the keys to Sky's truck and snuck out the house. I almost made it when I saw Paris, Michael's daughter, outside.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

I smiled. "Going to get Skylie a surprise. Don't tell anyone, even your daddy, okay?" I lied, my heart breaking as I did it.

She looked serene. I think she was sleepwalking. "Okay," she said sweetly.

I got in the truck, sighed, turned the key, and pulled out of there. As I drove, I concentrated on one thing, and that was my anger. If Michael could face his family, then I could face this.

I pulled in to the parking lot, and searched. I saw Juan's car, and a little ways up, Juan himself was sitting under the pier. Alone. With a blanket and a candle. I almost gagged at the cheesiness of it all. After all he had put me through, after the beatings and the namecalling and the plain HURT, he still thought I'd wanted to have sex with him? He was crazy.

I got out, sighed deeply, and stretched. I walked slowly to that glimmer of light.

"Melody?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"You've lost your mind," I said, glowering. I kicked sand onto the candle and the light went out. Some even hit him in the face.

"What the hell, Mels?" he asked, jumping up. He eyed my appearance and then laughed.

"You think you're going to fight me? Now be reasonable," he said, laughing hysterically.

I chose that moment to slap his laughing face. He quit laughing.

"You're the one who's lost her mind," he spat, grabbing my arm and twisting it as far back as it went. I took my other arm, and drove my elbow into his mouth. I was't fast enough. He caught my other arm and flipped me on my back, kneeing me in my ribs as I flipped. Ignoring the pain, I took my foot and pushed it into his groin, regretting I didn't wear my stiletto boots. While he kneeled in pain, I took my other foot and kicked him in the jaw, and stood up and tried to run. He grabbed my shoe but I kicked it off, thanking God I could never get my laces to stay tied long.

He stood and grabbed the back of my shirt, and it ripped from where I tried to escape his pull. I fell on my back again, this time feeling the broken rib. He straddled me and began slapping me. I felt around in my pants for my cell phone. I gasped in horror when I realized that it wasn't with me.

"No one to call for help, huh? I figured you'd have tried something like this, which is why my boys are on the pier right now. They're gonna love when you're so..vulnerable. But I get to have you first," he said, ripping off the rest of my shirt. I thanked God I put on a tank top under it.

"You're gonna try to rape me?" I asked, sarcastically, when inside I knew he wasn't kidding.

"Yeah. And you're gonna like it," he said, growling.

"Naw, I didn't like it when I was willing, what makes you think I'd like it when you're forcing me?" I said, employing one of the tricks I'd learned. If you insult a man's potency (or in this case impotency), he'd be turned off. But Juan wasn't the average guy. I'd forgotten about that.

"You weren't always this aggressive. I like it," he said, beginning to kiss my neck.

I used his distraction to really get him with my elbow this time while I kneed him in the groin. I pushed him off of me and ran toward the truck. I fell in the sand when I heard someone yell "MELODY!" Then I felt something hit my head, and I knew nothing more.

_**Sky POV**_

I jumped up from my bed and gasped. I didn't think I was really dreaming, but I swore I heard Melody yelling for help. I looked around the room and for some reason, I felt cold. I stood and pulled on my robe and stepped out into the living room. It was scary how silent it was. I tiptoed over to Mel's door and put my ear against the door, expecting to hear her light snoring or talking in her sleep. When I heard nothing, I poked my head inside.

"Mel? Are you awake?" I whispered. I walked over to the bed and poked the lump under the blanket. It didn't move. I poked it again and noticed the lump caved in with my finger. "What the hell?" I grabbed the blanket and ripped it off the bed seeing Mel's pillows bunched together to make it look like her body under the blanket.

I backed away and ran into her dresser. Her phone fell off next to my feet and I picked it up. I ran to the bathroom and slammed the door open, hoping to find her there. I didnt. I walked around the apartment for a minute and then noticed my keys were missing.

"Melody! I'm gonna kill you!" I threw some clothes on and stepped outside. "Ugh...I don't even know where she'd be going this time of night." I picked up her phone and dug through her messages. What I found made my heart drop. "Meet me at the pier...Melody what have you done?" I ran inside and grabbed the apartment keys and my phone and ran as fast as I could for the pier.

When I finally got there, Juan and a bunch of other guys were wrestling Melody. It looked like her shirt was torn right off and my face grew red. "Get your filthy beaner asses off of her!" I yelled. As she ran, one of them threw rocks at her. "MELODY!" I yelled and one of the rocks hit her in the head and knocked her out.

I ran over to her before the other men got to her and I positioned myself over the top of her to protect her.

"Back off Sky...this aint your fight," Juan spat.

"The hell it aint," I growled and punched him in the gut. He stumbled back and the rest of his boys surrounded me. I stayed close to Mel and fought them off as best as I could. "Melody...you have to wake up," I shook her. One guy reached for her and I kicked his leg and made him fall back. "Mel come on wake up please!" One of the guys grabbed my arm. "Don't touch me you stupid son of a bitch! Get off of me!" One man pulled me up by the waist and another started to tear my shirt off. "Hey! Let me go! Someone help!" I yelled. I kicked and screamed. I had no idea who in their right mind would be in this area at 2 in the morning.

The men fought with me and I was able to get away a few times. Each time, I ran back to protect Melody as best as I could. One man finally succeeded in tearing my shirt completely off and I covered myself and Mel. Just as Juan stepped forward with his hand on his belt, headlights brightened the area and the men took off running. As the car skidded to a stop, more men piled out of the car and chased Juan and his men. I covered Melody and covered my face.

"Sky...Mel...it's okay, I'm here now..." I looked up and saw Michael standing there. Jermaine handed him a jacket and he covered me and helped me up. I looked back at Mel and Jackie walked by with a blanket.

"I got her," he said, carefully lifting her and laying her in the back seat. I layed her head in my lap and rested my head on Jermaine's shoulder on the way back.

"Where are we going now?" I whispered.

"We're going to see mother," Randy said. "She'll know what to do."

I nodded and closed my eyes. Mel and I were safe now. I'll save the yelling for later, but I might as well rest while I could.

_**Melody POV**_

I woke up in a room filled with a bunch of orange roses and orange blossoms. Sky was there, holding my hand and Michael was on the other side.

"Am I in the hospital?" I asked.

"No. You're in my private doctor's emergency wing," I heard Katherine say.

"Oh," I said, looking around. Everyone was there, except the kids and Randy. Latoya, Janet, Rebbie, Tito, Jackie, Marlon, Jermaine, and Joseph were crowded in this room.

"So what happened? How much do you know?" I asked them.

Sky and Michael grinned at each other. "More than you would think," Michael said and Sky began to tell me what happened.

"But how did you find out, Michael?" Sky asked suddenly.

Michael grinned and began to tell his side of the story.

_**Michael POV**_

I heard my phone ringing, and I checked the time. It was two AM. I looked at the caller ID. Sky.

I answered. "Hello? Sky?"

"...Mel, come on, wake up, please! Don't touch me, you stupid son of a bitch! get off of me- hey! Don't touch her! Let me go! Someone help!"

I sat straight up, fear and anguish and anger going through my veins. I knew this feeling. Adrenaline. "Sky, Melody," I whispered, afraid. I swung my legs out of bed and donned a white tank and some black jeans. I tucked my hair into a ponytail, calling my brothers as I hastily got dressed.

They met me outside, all of them. Marlon looked as scared as I felt. I filled them in as we loaded into Jackie's SUV and Tito traced Sky's phone.

"Santa Monica beach," he said. "Near the pier."

Jackie sped towards there. Jermaine looked at me in fear. "Michael, calm down, it's going to be okay," he said softly.

I shook my head. I heard Spanish voices in the background while Sky was begging whoever it was not to touch her. I mentally did the math. Melody getting a text message and acting strange when she said nobody...her asking to go off by herself for a while...her being strangely confident when she returned.

I gasped. "Juan," I said in a strangled voice. I told them about how Juan was and they looked shocked. Jackie pushed the gas and we were going eighty, not knowing what we were going to find.

_**Melody POV**_

"And you know what happened when we got there," Michael finished for Sky.

"Oh," Sky said. She turned to the others. "Michael and I want a moment to speak with Melody."

Oh crap. I was dead. As the room cleared, Michael sat on the chair across the room with an amused expression on his face.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR EVER LOVING MIND?" Sky asked, shouting. When I went to answer she cut me off. "DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW SCARED I WAS WHEN I FOUND MY TRUCK GONE? AND YOU DON'T DELETE YOUR MESSAGES WELL, DO YOU? HOW COULD YOU THINK OF FACING HIM BY YOURSELF? HUH? HE ALMOST KILLED YOU! HE WOULD HAVE THROWN YOU IN THE OCEAN IF MICHAEL AND HIS BROTHERS HADN'T HAVE TURNED UP!" She kept shouting.

"I'm a good swimmer," I grumbled. "Are you done?"

"I am." She said, and sat down in a huff.

Michael stood and I cringed, but all he did was hug me and say "Don't scare me like that again," in a choked up voice. He then sat back next to me.

"Is that it?" Sky asked, incredulous.

"Yep."

"But she-"

"I know."

"And he-"

"Yep."

Sky rolled her eyes. "Fine."


	13. Chapter 12

_**Melody POV**_

A few weeks had gone by my run in with Juan. My full injury list was terrible. I had a shattered ankle, a few broken ribs, a head laceration, and some pulled muscles in my back from where he had ripped my shirt off of me, along with bumps and bruises and cuts. Yeah, I was a mess, but we were back in Joy, and Nacho was happy to see us. Michael came with us, which was something I had not expected. He decided to bring his kids with us, as well. Other than my extensive injuries, I was doing great. Sky and myself got back into doing rehearsal for an MJ tribute concert that was open to any acts.

"Sky, how am I going to dance with a broken ankle? This concert is in two weeks," I said a few days after New Year's Eve. I had four weeks of recovery left.

"So, we'll sing something we wouldn't have to dance to," Sky said, laying on her back on the floor, her feet propped on the couch. I was in the chaise longe with my ankle propped up. Nacho was laying down on the floor beside me.

"Knock knock," we heard a voice say. The only one that lifted both of us up inside.

"Hey, Michael," Sky called, not even bothering to get up.

He walked in, and stared at Sky in amusement. "Hello to you, too. How's the ankle, Melody?" he asked.

"Irritating," I grumbled. Michael laughed.

"I know it sucks, being so limited," he admitted.

"That tribute concert is in two weeks, Michael. Dos semanas. I won't be able to dance, then," I complained, throwing a pillow over my face.

I heard Sky sigh in exasperation, and Michael laugh sympathetically. "Hey, hey, hey, don't be that way, girl. You don't have to dance. Sing your song. I know you can do it. I've heard you sing it several times. I know you love dancing nearly as much as I do, but I love singing too. I don't want you to hurt yourself paying tribute to me. Sky, you wouldn't mind dancing by yourself, would you?" Michael asked.

"Well, uh, you see, we always pictured it as us doing it together. If she sings 'You Are Not Alone', then I'm sure we could make that into a duet," Sky said. I peeked out from behind the pillow. Sky looked thoughtful. Michael looked relieved.

"Okay," I agreed.

The next day, I had to go to the doctor for an x-ray on my ankle and my ribs. "Hmm, all is doing well. Your ribs are healed, so that's very good. Ask for your ankle, there are still a few fractures, but they're very small. I believe you're ready for a support boot, now," he said.

"A support boot?" I asked.

He explained what it was. I'd be able to walk without crutches, but it still provided limitations. "No dancing," he said. "I know you Melody, and if you use that ankle too much it will damage it more than heal it. So no dancing."

"Fiine. No dancing," I agreed. I decided to give Sky a visit at the hospital. Michael was driving me back home, and he was up in the nursery, looking at the babies.

"Ding dong," I said, limping to her station.

"Where are your crutches?" she asked, wide eyed.

"History, kaput, gone. Now I have this silly support boot," I said, gesturing downward. She looked, and grinned.

"Dr. Tims is trippin, though. He told me no dancing for another month, and he said he'd feel more comfortable if it were six months!" I complained. "I can't go that long without dancing, I'd lose my mind."

"You know Mel, you can be pretty dumb sometimes," Sky said, shaking her head.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Why not, now this is just some dumb idea, ask Michael if he can help you to start dancing again. Start off slow, pace yourself. He's done it before. He danced an entire show in a wheelchair once, remember?" she asked.

"No, seeing as how I was only two at the time, I don't" I joked. I knew what she was talking about. The Soul Train Awards, when Michael had torn a muscle or something during rehearsal. "I'll ask him."

I flipped open my phone, and texted Michael. "_Yo, superstar, I'm out. Down here talkin to Skylie."_

He came back with "_Ok, be down in a quick sec_."

Then my phone rang. I looked at the name and smiled.

"Is that the mystery guy who's been calling for the past week?" Sky asked. I smiled and nodded. "Still don't know why you want let me know who he is," she grumbled playfully as I answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful, what's up?"

"Talking to Skylie, waiting for Mikey to get here."

"What's the damage on the ankle?"

"No more crutches," I said, smiling.

"I still can't believe he did that to you. I wanna teach him a lesson in how to be a real man."

"Nah, I'm sure the state penn is doing that now," I said, shrugging. "Call me later, though. I'm about to be busy."

"Ok, later, girl."

I hung up as Michael came through the elevator doors, looking sad. "Hey, Mikey, what's wrong?" I asked as Sky came from behind the desk.

"There's a baby that was born way too premature, they dont know if she'll make it" Michael whispered, tears forming in his eyes. Sky hugged him real tight and then I hugged him just as tightly. We knew how Michael felt about babies and children. They were the only innocent, pure beings in life.

He looked at me. "It's Juan's sister, Cristin. It's hers."

I sighed. "Mind if I go up?" I asked no one in particular.

Michael squeezed my hand. "Go on."

I went to the elevator and rode all the way to the maternity ward. "Cristin Ramirez," I told the nurse. She smiled sympathetically and led me to the room.

No one was there except her. I figured. A few months ago, her other older brother Ricky and her parents went back to Mexico. The only ones left with her were Juan and Diego, and they were both in prison now. I never had a problem with Cristin. Matter of fact, she told me to break up with Juan because I didn't deserve the way he treated me.

"Hey," I said quietly.

She turned and sighed. "Hey, Melodia." She looked at my ankle and winced. "Ouch," she said simply.

"Yeah. Look, about-"

"Mellie, don't. Please," she said, her voice breaking. "I know why this is happening." I looked confused, cause she went on to explain. "I've been severly stressed. Worrying about you, wondering how I was going to be able to take care of her, and then, this morning, I knew something was horribly wrong, so I came here, and well, you know the rest."

"I'm sorry, Cristin. I wish there was something I could do," I said.

She smiled in spite of herself. "Stay away from men like my brother. You're lucky to be alive. Find someone who will treat you right," Cristin said.

"But the baby, there's a chance she'll live," I said.

"You're good at changing subjects Melodia, but I know. But, I'm giving her up. I can't take care of her. I already have a family willing to take her in. I made this decision months ago."

I bit my lip. Cristin was a very rational person, and she knew when she had to make a tough decision. I hugged her bye and I walked downstairs.

Michael was waiting for me. I guess Sky had to go back to work.

_**Sky POV**_

I walked to my car and got in a the end of a long day. Cristin's baby had ended up passing away. When I told her, she sighed and said something in Spanish that meant "God wants it to be that way". So I got in and wasn't expecting much more worse. I turned on the radio and found out that it could get worse.

"This just in, a major earthquake has rocked Haiti. More to come in a few minutes," the DJ was saying.

"No," I whispered. I took off for the apartment.

When I got there, Melody was looking in shock at the TV. "Skylie," she said, pointing. I looked, and nearly got sick. The damage of that country was unimaginable. As we watched TV that night, we learned that it was a seven on the magnitude scale, and that fifty THOUSAND were considered lost.

"Those poor people," she whispered. Her phone buzzed.

"Hello?...Michael...yeah, we're watching it...it's so terrible," she talked on and on. I was still watching, horrified. I thought about all the families and kids there and it tore my heart up inside.

Later that night, I called Michael. "I'm going to Haiti," I told him.

"Sky, why? It's dangerous," he said.

"Look, I want to help," I told him.

"Is Mellie going?" he asked.

"No. She's hurt, and I don't want her to go," I said in a whisper.

"I don't want you to go," Michael said. "What about that?"

"Michael you know if you were alive to the rest of the world, you'd be the first person to help. I want to help. I don't like the idea of kids being hurt over there," I said.

He paused and sighed. I thought I heard a dry sob for a horrible second.

"Skylie, please. I told you I see you as a niece in a way. I'm begging you. Please. Don't go," he said softly.

"Michael, I love you," I said softly. I hung up and began to pack.

_**Michael POV**_

As she hung up the phone, I got mad for the first time since forever. I threw the phone on the bed and punched the wall. I ignored the throbbing in my knuckles. She had a point: I would have done the same thing. But I wouldn't send someone I LOVED there. And the fact that Mellie probably didn't know what she was doing was driving me up the wall.

I sat on my bed and cried. I doubted that Sky had ever been to a true disaster zone like that. I had. And it changed people, sometimes not for the better. I didn't want Sky to see all that tragedy. I sure as hell (I winced at my profanity) didn't want Melody there, either, being hurt like she was. But I knew I had to call her and let her know what was going on, because Sky was like her sister, for all intents and purposes. So, I took a deep ragged breath, and punched in Mellie's number.

_**Sky POV**_

I cried as I drove to the airport. The conversation with Michael had hurt me more than anything, and the fact that I was deceiving Melody was just the knife going in deeper. She'd want to come, too, but I couldn't have her getting hurt more.

I sighed, and turned on my CD player. Ironically, the song was 'Man in the Mirror'.

"You see, Michael, I have to start with me to make a change," I said out loud.

I drove into the parking lot of the Smithfield Airport and got out. As I walked to the ticket area, I heard something I so didn't need to hear.

"SKYLIE MICHELLE MOROSE!"

"Crap," I muttered, and I turned to the sound of Melody's voice, who was, of course, with a heavily disguised Michael.

"Who in the world do you think you are, going to Haiti without letting me get a say in edgewise?"

"Michael, you told her?" I asked sadly.

"Had too. That wasnt a good thing to do," he said.

"Melody, you're hurt. You still can't use your ankle well," I argued.

"And? You can't going off by yourself, Skylie. Your brother wouldn't let you, and I'm not either," Melody said, stomping her foot.

"Melody, my brother isn't here!" I shouted at her, losing patience. I wanted to get going.

"But I am! And you're not going by yourself!" Melody shouted back. She glanced back at Michael. "Help me," she pleaded with him.

"Sky, don't do this. I told you on the phone I didn't want you to go," he said softly.

"Fine. Melody, c'mon," I argued.

"What?" they both asked, shocked.

"I'm not staying here, doing nothing. If you want to come, then come. Flight leaves in thirty minutes," I said.

"Um, okay?" Melody said, running to the bathroom. She came back with a backpack.

"You knew you were going?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah?" Melody shot back.

Michael sighed. "Let's go," he said, gesturing. It was our turns to look shocked. "What?" Michael snapped.

"You can't go, people would recognize you," I said, wide eyed.

"Look, I've been in public for almost a year now, and no one thinks anything of it. And you two are not going by yourselves," Michael said. I knew he was hurt and angry at us.

"Fine. Let's go," I said, avoiding his eye.

We boarded the plane. We were the only ones who were headed to Haiti, and the stewardess looked at us like we were crazy. My belief that Michael was upset with us was confirmed when he didn't sit with us. He sat at the front of the plane, avoiding our eyes.

At that point, I wanted to cry. I didn't want him to be mad at me. I thought he would be happy that I wanted to make the world better. I revealed this much to Melody after about ten minutes after take off.

"Well, Sky, maybe you need to talk to him. I know why he's upset. But you need to talk to him," she said matter of factly. She was pissed at me too, but she was mad because I had tried to sneak off. She'd get over that. I flat out defied Michael.

So, I got up and walked to Michael, and sat next to him. He was pretending to be asleep. "Michael, you're scared to death of flying, so cut it out," I said sadly.

"Fine," he said, glaring at me.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking at him sadly. "But why are you so upset? I thought you'd be, well, proud. Proud that I wanted to help."

Michael sighed deeply and turned to look at me. "It's not that. I'm upset because you've no idea what you're getting yourself into. Disaster areas, they- they change people. One time, a girl, Carol, she was at the same site I was. It was the site of a terrible shooting in Russia. She was okay until she had a child die in her arms. That's what we're headed to. A rescue mission isn't pretty at all. It's actually horrifying and gruesome," Michael said.

"I know. But there's also something to be said for making the world a better place. Just because something's horrifying doesn't mean that people shouldn't do it, right?" I asked.

"Well, no...but...well...it's not the place for you or Melody. There's looters and revolutionists everywhere and I can't bear the idea of you two getting hurt," Michael said softly. "That's mainly why I'm upset. I'm scared to death that you two are going to get hurt."

"Michael," I said, almost crying. "There's always a risk. And you can't protect us forever."

"I know that. I can't protect you forever. But I don't want you seeing things that you shouldn't."

"I already have, Michael! Are you forgetting that my brother died in my arms?" I said, getting mad.

"Ok, fine. But, Melody," he said. "Why didn't you tell her no?"

I glanced back at her. Melody, who had been through so much but still wanted everyone to be happy. Melody, who had finally found some happiness of her own. I saw where he was coming from. He didn't want her to see something that would haunt her forever.

"You know she has a boyfriend now. Does he know?" Michael asked.

"Probably not," I admitted. "When did that happen?"

"A few days ago," Michael whispered. "He really does like her. May even love her. He hates the idea of anyone or anything hurting her."

I felt bad. "She decided to come on her own. Remember what happens if we tell her no to anything important to her. She does it anyway, so why should I have bothered?"

"Oh, I don't know, I suppose her nearly shattered ankle doesn't have anything to do with it?" Michael asked. "What would happen if it shatters again? She won't be able to dance. Ever." I hung my head. "Look. I am proud. Very proud. But I'm also scared. That's why I'm coming with you guys. I'm not upset with either of you. I'm just scared out of my wits. You're both old enough to be daughters of mine, and I feel like you guys are already family to me. And I don't want my family to get hurt."

We got to Haiti and Michael was right. It felt like we were in hell. There were people screaming, and fires blazing. Babies were crying and there were a lot of men shouting.

Someone official looking came up and said something in French. Melody shook her head. "Spanish?" she asked in the language.

He nodded gratefully and fired questions away. "He wants to know if we are here to help," Melody translated.

"Ask him if there's anyone else here," Michael suggested.

Melody did and he nodded and spoke again. "Yes, but they are on the other side of town. People need help here, now. Did we bring anyone else," she said. She shook her head at the man.

He turned to us and very carefully, spoke. "There are babies without parents, and elderly without the care they need. We need help," he said, with a heavy accent.

Tears formed in my eyes. "Tell him we'll do all we can," I asked Melody. Melody translated and he hugged me.

"Ok, we need a game plan. I'm going to go to the other side of town, and ask for volunteers over there to come here. Melody, I want you to stay here. You start wrapping their wounds, and there's water in my backpack. Sky, you come with me," Michael said officially. He looked at the guy who had hugged me. He hugged him and said "We're going to help you."

Michael and I left Melody with a hug and any supplies she may have needed. Bless her heart, she didn't complain once. She jumped right to work after Michael hugged her. Michael asked for her cell phone, and left his with her.

"It gets better signal," he explained. We walked out of the airport turned hospital and a horrible smell met my nose. Michael pulled out two surgical masks. "It's corpses," he explained.

I tied mine and he tied his. We walked to a taxi and got in. This guy thankfully spoke good English, so Michael explained what we needed to do. The guy took off. I looked out the window at all the destruction. I felt so terrible, but we were going to fast to see the extent of it all. The taxi stopped at the meeting place and Michael and I jumped out.

"Who here speaks English?" Michael commanded.

A guy stepped forward. "I do. Are you volunteers?" he asked. I listened to his accent. Dominican.

"Yes. There are people at the airport who need help. There is only one girl helping there, and she isn't in good shape. Please, we need a few people over there. Could you spare five or six?" Michael asked.

"I have thirty volunteers here. I can spare ten," the guy said.

Michael sighed in relief. "Thank you," he said.

In no time, we were in a truck with twelve Dominican guys. Two had opted to come on their own. Melody's phone rang, and Michael looked at it. He winced when he saw the name.

"David," he mouthed at me before flipping it open.

"Hello...hi, David...it's Mike. Well, it's a long story, but we're in Haiti...yeah...she's here, too, she's right here...ok, Sky, he wants to speak with you," Michael said, handing the phone to me.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Sky, what the hell? You know Melody shouldn't be there with her ankle being out the way it is!" David said.

"Look, I told her that I didn't want her to come and you know how she is," I said.

"Oh, yeah, well, I'll see you guys soon. I've been assigned to head there in a few hours. Knowing Mel is there made it more of a priority than it was a couple minutes ago," David said. "Keep her SAFE," he added severely.

"I'll try," I said hanging up. Michael smiled grimly.

"Told you he likes her," Michael said.

We got back to the airport and I spotted Melody right away. I walked to her and handed her phone to her. "David is coming in a few hours, he's been assigned," I explained.

She was covered in sweat, dirt, and blood. But when I told her David was coming, she had the most brilliant smile come across her face.

"How many did you-" She was interrupted by a shaking. The guy came up to her, screaming. "Sky, we have to get these people out! An aftershock, it's coming," Melody cried.

We started getting people out as the shaking grew stronger. I saw a lone little boy, and I ran back and grabbed him.

"Sky, come on!" Melody cried.

Michael's eyes grew wide as he looked above me. They were out in the open, and I was the only one left in the building. I looked up and saw the roof start to fall apart. So I closed my eyes, pushed the boy out in the open, and ducked as the roof fell on top of and around me. The last thing I heard was the sound of Melody and Michael's voices calling my name.

"SKY!"


	14. Chapter 13

_**Melody POV**_

I got to work as soon as they had left. I began cutting fabric for bandages and wrapping people up. I handed the kids the energy bars that I had in my backpack so they wouldn't go hungry.

I started to realize that what bandages I had wouldn't last. So, I looked at my extra large t-shirt and griminced. I took it off, thankful my tank top was underneath it. I began to cut it up into more bandages. When that ran out, I took my jacket off and began using that as well.

I had all the injured bandaged up in an hour, when Sky and Michael came back with re-enforcements. The leader of the group I'd helped was now leading people out, warning me of the stability of the building, and that they'd had seven aftershocks already and there were more on the way.

Sky tossed me my phone. "David is coming in a few hours, he's been assigned," she explained.

I grinned, happy that he was coming. But my happiness eventually faded when Luca, the leader screamed at me that an aftershock was coming. I told Sky we needed to get everyone out as the shaking began. Soon, everyone was out except Sky and a little boy.

"Sky, come on!" I screamed.

She looked up and fear filled her eyes. She pushed the boy out into the road, where Luca caught him. With horror, I watched the building fall on top of my best friend, my sister.

"SKY!" I screamed, and I heard Michael scream the same thing. I went to go after her and someone caught me.

"NO! I won't lose both of you, get down!" Michael shouted, throwing me to the ground and covering me with his body, as the violent shaking ensued. After it was over, Michael helped me up.

"How's your ankle?" he asked, worried.

"Screw my ankle. We need to get Sky out of there!" I cried out.

"I know, I know. Come on," he said, and with finesse, he bagan to pull at the concrete that now covered my friend. I helped him, as did all of the volunteers. For hours, we pulled and pulled.

Finally, one of the volunteers said something in Spanish. "It's no use, she's probably dead," he had said.

I ran over to the guy and hit him square in the jaw. "Estas loca?" he asked me.

"No, but you are! That's my best friend down there and I'm not giving up, now help me, dammit!" I screamed in Spanish.

He looked shocked and without saying another word, he began to dig again. So imagine the irony when thirty minutes later, the same guy shouted. "She's here! Alive! Breathing! But sleeping!" he said in broken English.

Michael and I stumbled over each other to get to the spot as we helped pull her out. By this time, a few doctors had arrived.

"Give her to me," Michael cried, holding her in his arms, and took her off the mountain of concrete we'd pulled her from. I followed him, crying, and as we did, I bumped into a soldier. He turned and I collapsed in his arms when I saw that it was David.

"Melody!" he cried as he picked me up. "Sir! Permission to break formation!" he called.

"Permission granted!" His officer said, and he picked me up.

"Melody, are you ok?"

"Sky," was all I said, pointing after Michael.

I told him what had happened as we went to the medical tent. We waited for an hour, then the doctor came outside. "She needs to be taken back to the States. One of her kidneys is failing fast and she needs a transplant," the doctor said.

Withing a half hour, we were all back on a plane back to the States. Even David, who had explained to his supierior that a family member was hurtm was with us.

"Come on, Sky, please, wake up, I need you here with me!" I called out, in tears.

_**Sky POV**_

I could hear Melody's voice begging me to wake up. The last thing I had remembered was pushing a small boy out of the way of a falling roof. Then I heard my two best friends yelling my name. I felt extremely weak.

"Sky, please...I need you to stay with me..." Melody's voice rang in my head.

"I know...I hear you, Mel..." I said in my mind. "I just need to rest for a while."

I felt a sharp pain in both of my arms. I wasn't aware there were doctors trying to get I.V.'s started. My body automatically fought them off and Michael's voice was the one that came next.

"Shhh...Skylie, it's okay. They're just trying to help you. Lay still," he whispered.

"No...I - it hurts..." my mind screamed.

I felt someone grab my hand and Mel's voice rang in my ears again. "I'm here, Skylie. I'm not leaving you alone. Try to be still for me," her voice cracked. I wanted to hug her. I knew she was crying. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. The pain soon stopped and everything drew silent.

_**Melody POV**_

As we landed in Miami, Florida, we were greeted with an ambulance. David and Michael took a taxi behind us.

"Look, blood type me and see if I'm compatible, please," I told the paramedic.

He did and he gasped. "It's a perfect match," he whispered.

In another world, I knew that meant something, but right now, all I knew is that I was about to save Sky. As they wheeled her in the ER, the paramedic led me to the doctor that would be operating on Sky.

"Miss Rose, do you understand the procedure?" he asked sternly.

I nodded. "Sky's a nurse. She tells me everything about the medical business," I said.

"Ok. Come with me," he said.

Michael and David came behind me. "Mel," Michael began.

"I'm gonna donate one of my kidneys to her. I'm a match, so they're gonna do it," I said.

Michael smiled and cried. "That's such a thoughtful, selfless thing to do," he said.

David kissed my forehead. "I'll be there when you wake up," he promised.

"Both of you," I said, sternly, looking at Michael.

"Of course," he whispered.

I followed the doctor and I got ready. They wheeled me to the operating room and got the anesthesia ready. "Okay, I want you to relax and count to ten," the nurse said slowly.

I did, and before I reached 5, I was out. I began to dream. It was first a terrible nightmare.

_I was walking home from work when my phone rang on June 25, 2009. It was Sky._

_"Hey girl. I am so ready to head to London!" I said, cheerfully._

_"Mellie," she said, crying._

_"Skylie, what is it?"_

_"Michael...he's gone," she whispered._

_I dropped my phone. Soon, I was at the memorial with Sky, watching his daughter cry over him. The nightmare turned good when that first night came, when we found out that Michael was still alive._

_Then David showed up not even a few days ago, carrying a bouquet of orange blossoms that smelled so beautiful._

_Then the nightmarish images of Haiti began, when I watched my best friend disappear underneath the rubble of the airport. After the smoke cleared, the horrible site that I had previously seen was now a gorgeous open field surrounded by countless trees. I walked around until I saw Sky standing by a cliff overlooking a large waterfall and a pretty good sized pond._

_"Hey...what are you...what are we doing here?" I asked._

_She shrugged. "I don't know. All I remember was you and Michael calling for me. Then pain, and your voice, and then I was here," she paused for a moment and looked at me. "So my kidneys are shutting down, huh?" I nodded and she sighed. "So, you are giving me one of yours. Why?"_

_I shrugged it off. "Because I can and because you would've done the same for me. We're a perfect match. I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that."_

_Sky looked at the water in deep thought. "Perfect matches only happen in a certain case, Mel. You do know what this means, don't you?" she asked._

_"I had a rough idea, but why don't you tell me your opinion?" I smiled._

_Sky hugged me tightly and I tried not to cry. "I always knew something was different about you. Something different. Now I know why." she wiped tears away and I had to wipe a few of my own._

_"Same here, Skylie. Same here," I whispered. We sat at the cliff's edge and enjoyed each other's presence. After a while, Michael's voice echoed through the air._

_"Wake up girls. Come on...time to wake up," he whispered._

_I looked at Sky and stood, offering her my hand and smiling. "Ready?"_

_Sky nodded and took my hand. "Yep. Let's go."_

The dream ended as I slowly woke up. I felt so tired, still, and my abdomen felt so uncomfortable.

"Melody," I heard Michael's voice call out, and I swiveled my eyes to where his voice came from.

"Hi," I said. Ugh, my voice sucked!

I felt my other hand being squeezed. "Morning, beautiful," David grinned.

I smiled sleepily back. Then I sat straight up. "Sky?" I asked. I looked next to Michael and Sky was in the bed next to me, smiling weakly at me. She reached over and took my hand.

"Hey...sis," she said tiredly.

I smiled widely. "I like the sound of that," I whispered. She nodded and slowly fell back to sleep. I looked concerned and turned back to Mike.

"She's recovering so fast," he said. "Why do I feel like I've missed something though?" he asked. I sighed as realization dawned on me. I remembered the words, a perfect match.

"Michael, we're sisters."


	15. Chapter 14

_**Melody's POV**_

Wow, I couldn't believe this. We, Sky and myself, we were...sisters! I didn't know what to think of it. Was my dad her dad or was her dad my dad? She told me she never knew her father so the possibility of my dad being hers was very likely.

We talked about how we were going to confront our mothers. "I think we just come right out and ask them," Sky said. Michael was sitting on her bed, braiding her hair. David had to head back to Haiti.

"That's not always the best case, Skylie," I said, sitting in the chair beside the bed. Sky had to stay in the hospital a few days. Apart from her transplant, she also had a fractured skull, a few slipped discs in her back, and she'd lost a lot of blood.

Sky winced as she sat up straighter. "Then what, may I ask, do you think we should do?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't know. My last idea ended me up where you are right now."

"Ugh," Sky said, leaning back, real careful. Michael helped her, then slid off her bed.

I still felt horrible. Michael's worse nightmare had happened when she had gotten hurt. Jermaine and Marlon were headed over to see how we were doing, and Prince, Michael's son, was coming too. I think he had a crush on Sky.

"All I know is we're sisters. And they know something we don't," Sky finally said, drifting off to sleep.

Michael and I walked out of the room. Sky's accommodations were very private, and the doctors and nurses here didn't give him a second look. "One of the doctors here was in rehab with me, that's why no one is surprised," he had explained.

We heard a commotion at the desk. "Look, I'm here to see Sky Morose, please, she's family," Marlon's voice was saying.

Michael snickered and tapped Sky's doctor on the arm. "Go let my brother in, before they rip down the door," he asked.

"Sure thing," the doctor said.

Soon, Marlon, Prince, and Jermaine were walking to us. I bent down and hugged Prince, carefully, as my stomach was still very sore.

"Melody, you have given Michael a run for his money on the compassion thing," Marlon said, hugging me next. "That was so selfless and brave."

"Is Sky ok?" the fourteen year old Prince asked.

"Yes. She's sleeping right now, but she'll be ok," I assured him.

"Well, our two girls got a surprise tonight," Michael said, easing down in a chair in the very elaborate waiting room.

"Yeah?" Jermaine asked.

"Turns out that they are sisters. Blood sisters," Michael said, winking at me. I blushed.

"Wow, that's amazing. How old are you, Mel?" Marlon asked.

"Um, 19, and Sky is 23," I said.

Jermaine shifted in his seat, a confused look on his face. "But that's a four years difference," he said, confused.

"I know, it's baffled me too," I said.

"What's your mother's name? You never talk about her," Marlon noticed.

I shuddered at the mere mention of my mom. Ever since I left, she hadn't kept in touch once. I'd forced Sky not to tell her about me being in the hospital last time. "Her name is Elena Rosario," I said.

Jermaine's eyes got wide. I was about to ask why but then Sky's doctor came to the door. "Mr. Jackson you need to hide, there's some women here to see the girls. They said they're the mothers," he said.

Michael nodded and bowed his head to me. Jermaine and Marlon opted to stay. Soon, the door opened and there was Ms. Linda, and my mom. "Mellie, mi nena, thank God you're ok," she said, hugging me gently.

Ms. Linda looked at me and sighed, and hugged me too. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered.

My mom looked over my shoulder and gasped. She looked, well, ANGRY. "You!" she cried at...Jermaine?

"Elena?" Jermaine asked, looking frightened.

"You, you bastard! How dare you! You weren't in her life before, why now? Huh? You just took advantage of a maid in your hotel then you run back to your girlfriend? Oh, you," she shouted, lacing in a string of curses in Spanish. Then, with shock, I saw her throw her purse at Jermaine's head.

"STOP!" I shouted, getting in between them. "Please, tell me what's going on! How do you know Jermaine Jackson, Mama?" I asked.

"Simple. I worked in a hotel when I was young. One day, the fabulous Jackson 5 was staying there during their Victory tour. I met that sorry excuse of a man there and fell, well, not in love, but in lust with him. We slept together, then the next day he was gone. Then I find out..." she trailed off, and I was faced with the reality of the situation.

I turned to Jermaine. "Wait...you're my father?" I asked, in disbelief. My eyes swiveled to the door where I knew Michael was. I saw his eyes widen in realization and disbelief.

"If you had told me back then, I would have been there, Elena!" Jermaine shouted. He looked at me. Then I knew it. My eyes, I gasped as I realized it, Michael's eyes, were there in Jermaine's face too.

"Melody, if I'd known, oh, God," he said, sinking down to a seat and crying. I sat with him and hugged him.

Mama sighed and sat with us. "That's why I didn't like the fact of you liking Michael Jackson so much. God rest his soul, I wanted a reason to prove to you that the Jacksons were trouble. But to tell you the truth, nena, Michael, I actually liked very much. He was a gentleman," Mama said, wiping her eyes.

I snuck a glance over to Michael's hiding spot again. I raised my eyebrow and he sighed and nodded. "Mama, there's a secret I need to tell you. Well, two. I'll get to the big one later. But Michael's soul isn't with God," I said, concealing the smile that threatened to come.

"Nena, that is not a nice thing to say, don't tell me you've become an atheist," Mama said in shock.

"No no no no, that's not it. Come out," I called.

Michael walked out and Ms. Linda scattered back four inches, clutching her throat. My mama's eyes got huge. "You're still alive?" she asked, in shock.

"Yes, and please, don't speak of this to anyone. I'm not coming back, I just want to raise my children," Michael asked, begging them.

"Of course," Ms. Linda said. Mama nodded gravely.

"So, Melody, you have something else to tell us? Come on, out with it," Ms. Linda said. I winced as I looked at Michael.

Michael sighed. "Tell her, Melody."

I heard Jermaine take a quick intake of breath when he realized what I was about to reveal. "Ms. Linda, Sky and I are sisters. Jermaine is her father, too." I hung my head.

"Oh, no no no, I didn't sleep with her," Jermaine said, getting up. Ms. Linda shook her head as if to re-assure him that his statement was true.

"Jermaine, I know. Melody, Sky isn't mine. She's adopted."

_**Sky's Mom POV**_

**I came to work that day for ****Motown Records**** in California, bouncing on the balls of my feet. ****Daniel**** told me his first sentence yesterday ("Mommy, I want a snack"). It made me so happy to hear that, and for months now, I had wanted another baby, but, thanks to Daniel's dad walking out on me a few months ago, that wasn't happening anytime soon.**

**I walked to Hazel Gordy's office, and was met with a sight that made my heart clench. Hazel was bent over, crying her eyes out. I felt so sorry for her. Hazel had been put through the ringer these past few months. Her husband had decided to divorce her, and Hazel was so in love with him but she wasn't going to share her husband. I couldn't blame her.**

**"Ms. Gordy, what is it?" I asked, rushing to her side.**

**"It so figures! My divorce is finalized last week, and now, this! God, why!?" Hazel said, sobbing. She looked around like a wild woman. Her eyes were wild, her hair was messed up, and I honestly thought she'd lost her mind.**

**"Ms. Gordy, please, what is it? What's wrong?" I asked again. She was really freaking me out. Hazel looked up at me.**

**"Linda, how old are you?" she asked.**

**"Twenty six," I answered. "Ms. Gordy, please, you have to tell me what's wrong. Do you need me to get Mr. Gordy?"**

**Her next words shocked me. "I'm pregnant," Hazel whispered. "I don't want it."**

**My eyes widened. "Ms. Gordy, what are you saying?"**

**"I'm saying that...if you want…I want you to have this baby. I know you've wanted a new one. Please, Linda, I need this!" I sat down in a chair as she drew in a shaky breath. "I know you want another baby, and this is my way of giving you what you deserve. I'll pay for you to move, to go to another place, I'll get you a new job, please, I just need you to take the baby. I know it's sudden but the baby won't be here for another eight months. I'll move with you in a few weeks so no one suspects. What do you say?"**

**What else could I say? "Yes, Ms. Gordy."**

_**Melody's POV**_

"...and she made good on her promise. Within a few weeks, We were in Joy, and eight months later, she gave birth to a daughter. She paid for everything, got me a good job, a good place to stay," Ms. Morose said. I let out a breath that I'd been holding in.

"So...we're....Michael Jackson's nieces?" I whispered.

Sky's mother nodded. "I'm sorry you never got to meet him," she said.

I acted sad, though I knew the opposite. "Does Sky know?" I asked. She shook her head. "Then she needs to. We know we're sisters, we just don't know how."

_**Sky's POV**_

I began to dream shortly after I had fallen asleep...

_Michael and Jermaine were walking towards the front door of Mel and my apartment. There had been a massive storm and Michael for some reason had decided to go outside and check things out. Mel and I grabbed him and Jermaine, trying to stop them._

_"You can't go out there!" I cried. "It's dangerous!"_

_"Please...daddy...stop!" Melody cried as she held onto Jermaine's arm._

_I froze. "Did you just call him...?" A loud crash of thunder interrupted me and The Jackson brothers disappeared outside. Mel suddenly vanished and I ran outside. Michael was now walking towards a crowd of unsuspecting people. "Michael...no! They'll see you!" I yelled._

_He ignored me and continued to walk. The ground began to shake underneath my feet and the atmosphere began to change. I looked up in fear as buildings collapsed all around me. I turned to the sound of my sister's screams only to see her disappear under a falling building._

_"Melody!" Michael and I ran to help her. We dug her out and took her to the hospital. As we had gotten there, the doctor explained she needed a liver transplant. I offered part of mine. After the transplant, Melody's body rejected the organ and she began to die._

_"Skylie..." she whispered and grabbed my hand. "Take care of Mikey…" she coughed._

_"Sh...save your strength, Mel. That's not important now. You need to get better. I can't lose you like I lost my brother." Tears slid down my face as I held on to my sister. I felt like I had when my brother was dying in my arms. I layed down beside her and held her hand._

_"Sky...our daddy will take care of you now. He's..." she coughed again._

_"Mel...stay with me..." I rose up and shook her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she let out a long breath. "MELODY!"_

I woke up on the floor and in a large amount of pain. I heard some kind of commotion going on outside. I dragged myself closer to the door and winced as I hit the floor again. I started to call for help when I heard something that caught my breath.

"Miss Linda, Sky and I are sisters."

"Wha...? Momma is here...?" I winced as blood fell from my head. I guess I had reopened my wound on my head when I fell out of bed. "Oh...I don't feel so...Melody!..." I began feeling dizzy and I forced myself to my feet. Why wasn't anyone coming? I fell to my knees and cried. "Mike…I need my guardian angel…"

Just then, Melody and Mike walked in. "Skylie! Oh geeze," Melody gasped as she rushed to my side. I brushed her off and tried to get up. "Don't do that. Let me help you…"

"No. I don't want you to hurt yourself. You've been hurt enough because of me."

"Don't say that," Melody argued and I huffed and pushed myself away from her, only to fall over and wince at the pain. A new set of arms pulled me up gently and I turned to argue.

"Don't you even argue with me, girl. You know where that will get you," Michael gave me a look as I opened my mouth to protest, but then I closed it. He was right. You can't argue with Michael Jackson.

He helped me back to the bed and then my mother walked in. She looked like she'd been crying. Melody's mother came in as well and Marlon and Prince. I smiled brightly as they all walked in and greeted me, though the last thing I felt like doing was smiling at this point.

"How are you feeling?" Marlon kissed my forehead.

"I've had better days, but then I've had worse. I guess I'm okay," I smiled and Prince grinned at me and hugged me. Melody rolled her eyes as he kissed the back of my hand and Michael pushed him aside.

I looked at everyone in the room and all seemed a little too quiet. When I looked at my mother, she looked away from me. "Momma, why won't you look at me? Are you still ashamed of me?"

Her eyes darted up to mine. "I was never ashamed. How could you say such a thing?"

"Then why won't you look at me?" I asked. She opened her mouth and then closed it and looked at Mike. He gave her a knowing look and then he winked at me. I was so confused. I looked back to Melody and she was chewing on her lip. "Mel…you told her the news, didn't you? Momma, is that why you can't look at me?"

She refused to look at me and Melody sighed. "Skylie…we need to talk."

"About what? Why is everyone acting like they are so nervous? What's going on?" I clenched my fists in my bed sheets and Mike sat down at the foot of my bed and rubbed my ankle lightly. Marlon and Prince looked at each other and then walked out of the room.

"Look…we have learned a few more things that's very hard to explain…" Mel's mother spoke slowly.

I looked at her and everyone else and no one seemed to know what to say. "What do you know that I don't?"

Mike looked at everyone else and then shook his head. "Do you remember when I told you that I saw you and Mel as family to me?" I nodded. "Well, see…the thing is, you actually are family to me. I'm your uncle. Yours and Mel's."

I blinked a few times and my heart monitor picked up a faster heartbeat. "So that means one of your brothers is my father?" He nodded and I glanced at my mother. "Why didn't you tell me you dated one of the Jacksons?"

"Because I didn't." She answered so quickly, I almost didn't catch it.

"Uhhh…" I scratched my head and looked back at Mike. "Who's my real father, Mike?"

He paused and looked at Mel. She sighed and then smiled weakly. "Jermaine is our father."

I darted my eyes back to my mother. "You slept with Jermaine?"

"No…" Mel's mother interrupted. "Hazel slept with him."

"Yeah, I already knew that. Old news…" I paused and thought for a moment. As realization struck me, my heart monitor beeped even faster and I looked back to my mother. "You…you're not my mother…"

She hesitated and then shook her head, still refusing to meet my gaze. "No…Skylie…"

"Don't call me that," I growled. I looked back at Mel with tears in my eyes. "Who?"

She looked away and clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "Hazel Gordy."

At that moment, all pain in my body had somehow gone numb. I stood up and pulled every wire off of myself and stormed out of the room. I could live with the fact that I was family to the Jacksons. Michael being my uncle, I always saw him as one anyway. Jermaine being my actual father, that was pretty cool. He was a real sweet man. I couldn't understand why he wasn't around though. Mel being my sister, well I already had a feeling she was family to me. But my mother…not being my mother. Did that mean my brother wasn't really my brother? I was so confused, I had to get away. I ran out to find the hospital balcony and ignored everyone's voices calling for me to stop.


	16. Chapter 15

_**Melody POV**_

"Sky?" I called her name, looking for her. I finally found her on a balcony. "Okay, look, what's up?" I asked. It made me worry that she was acting like this.

"I can't believe this! Twenty-three years of my life...it was a lie!" Sky snarled to herself. "I mean, Daniel...he wasn't even my brother? She ain't my mother. How come she lied to me?"

I knew she was upset. She wasn't speaking in correct grammar. I knew she was extremely mad. "Okay, for one, Daniel was your brother. And Ms. Linda is your mother," I said, appalled she would think that.

"That woman is not my mother," Sky said, wheeling around and facing me. For the first time, I felt mad at her and scared of her.

"Sky, how could you say something like this? You said it yourself a few weeks ago! You should feel lucky. Lucky that you've got even more family that loves you!" I said angrily.

"Things were different then!" Sky said.

"No. Things weren't all that different. You found out someone loved you so much that they took you in. Sky, I love you, but you're being selfish!" I said.

"I'm being selfish? How about give me time to settle with the fact that my whole life has been a lie?" Sky shouted.

"You coulda asked everyone to leave instead of being a big baby and risking your health like this!" She started to say something but I had had enough. "Fine. You know what? Fine. I'm done arguing. When you're done being a baby, then we can talk," I spat back then stalked back inside.

Michael bumped into me later, as I was coming out of the cafeteria. "Melody?" he asked, seeing the unshed tears.

"What?" I snapped. Then I felt bad. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap off," I apologized, then tried running off. Michael grabbed my arm.

"No. Stay and talk to me," Michael said. "You have never snapped off like that to anyone. You're sweet Melody, who is never mean to anyone. Something's wrong, isn't there?" He walked me into the chapel. We sat at the back, respecting an elderly woman with a rosary at the front. "What's up?" he asked. I filled him in on everything. By the time I was through, my body was shaking with the sobs that couldn't escape earlier. "Aw, Melody," Michael said, comforting me.

"We've never fought before," I said, trying to compose myself.

Michael snickered a little bit. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later," he said. "Look, Mellie, this, it's nothing. She's upset. You didn't have it as hard as she did. Maybe you need to let her chill."

I took a shaky breath and smiled. "Ok," I said.

Michael winked at me and handed me my phone. "David's been calling. I told him that you were okay, but he still wants to hear it from you," he explained.

I smiled inside. David looked out for me and got upset when something got my Irish up, as Sky said.

Sky. I wondered if she was still mad at me, then I remembered that I was still upset with her. I sighed, punched in David's number, and walked back to the cafeteria.

_**Sky POV**_

I couldn't believe it. Melody was actually mad at me and I was mad at her. We fought for the first time since we met. How is that even possible?

"Whatever…" I growled at myself. "She still doesn't understand. I don't even understand. If she is supposed to be family and love me, then why did she lie to me all these years?"

I paced back and forth on the balcony as I thought. Melody's words were ringing in my head like an angry swarm of bees. She did have a point, but this was just too much to try and process all at once. And why the hell wasn't Jermaine around when I needed him the most?

I looked up to the sky in deep thought. I leaned against the concrete wall that kept me from walking off the edge of the roof. It almost seemed like a nice idea for a split second. I shook that thought from my head and stared at the stars. The wind picked up and blew around me. My hair flew around my face and it felt as if someone's hand touched my cheek. I remembered doing this for so long after Michael's assumed death. I opened my eyes and saw a shooting star fly across the sky.

I smiled weakly and breathed in deep. "Michael…tell me what to do. How am I supposed to be okay with this? God I just wish you were here with me."

"But I am here." Michael's voice came from behind me and I whipped around, startled. "Sorry," he smiled. "Did I scare you?"

"No. I guess I just keep forgetting you're still here," I admitted and then blushed.

"Don't feel bad. Stress does that to people, Sky. You need to relax a little," he walked over to me and stood next to me and wrapped his arm loosely around my shoulders. I leaned into him and closed my eyes.

"I don't know how to deal with this. Melody and I…"

"Sisters fight, Skylie. That's something that was bound to happen. That's exactly what I just got through telling Mellie."

"Is she still mad at me?" I bit my lip.

"No, she's just afraid for you. Worried about you like we all are."

"All except for one, anyway," I mumbled. Michael pulled me tightly against his chest and hugged me.

"Your father will be there for you, just like me and Mellie and everyone else. You father just needs some time to process all of this new information, just like you. He just suddenly gained two daughters he had no idea he had. I'm sure you're just as confused and upset as he is. All I can say is just give it time, Skylie."

I sighed and nodded. I wasn't as mad anymore as I was confused. I really needed to get my act together and talk to Mel. I needed to apologize for over reacting the way I did. I just hope she'd forgive me. God knows I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost her.

_**Melody POV**_

I fell asleep that night, not expecting the nightmare that would ensue.

_I was wondering in the forest, not too sure what I was looking for. I looked down at my arms and saw the bruises. Maybe this is one of those dreams you have in the past, because these bruises look awfully familiar._

_A voice sounded in my head. "Melody, all alone, huh?"_

_"Who are you?" I asked mentally._

_"Aw, you don't remember me? I gave you those bruises. I gave you those scars. Remember how I said every scar I gave you would be a reminder of how much I love you?"_

_"I don't know who you are!" I screamed._

_"Yes you do, mi bonita Melodia," the voice said._

_It should have been obvious, but I was so confused. I didn't know who this person was. I should know, but I couldn't place it. I began to run, but everywhere was a dead end._

_The voice laughed and said "There's no where to run, Melody. You can't hide from me. I'll always find you."_

_"Leave me alone!" I cried out, still looking for a lifeline. Anything to get me out of this hell._

_"I can't. I can't stay away from you. I have my heart set on you, and no one else can have you, not even your precious David," the voice sneered. It wasn't in my head now. I could hear someone running after me. _

_"Leave him out of this!" I screamed back. He only laughed and the footsteps got even closer. I began crying out for anyone. "Sky! David! Michael! Someone, please, help me!" I screamed for real._

_"No one to save you. Michael's dead, Sky doesn't love you anymore, and David's far away. Poor little Melody, all alone," the voice whispered in my ear._

_I slowly turned and gasped. _

_Juan__ was back._

I woke up screaming. Janet came rushing in, looking concerned. "Mellie, Mellie, shh, what's wrong?" she asked.

I jumped back trying to recall how Janet got into the picture. I remembered. Michael let me stay with Janet. He was at the hospital with Sky. Me and her were still mad at each other. I was so upset all over again. I began to cry and Janet rubbed my shoulder, beginning to get her phone to call Michael.

"It was just...nothing. A bad dream," I said, lying. This wasn't nothing. It was more than a bad dream. It was a sign. Something bad was about to happen.


	17. Chapter 16

_**Melody POV**_

I was doing one of my favorite pastimes when I was stressed. Swinging on the swings at the park. Yes, it made me sound like a child, but I would rather be a child at the moment than to deal with the stuff I was going through. I'd had another nightmare last night and it was so scary, I woke up screaming. For anyone. But (and I think I should be shot for suggesting it) I told everyone I wanted to be alone in the apartment Michael was renting us. I wasn't a child, and I could deal with a couple nights by myself. Famous last words.

I winced at the memory, and I pushed off the ground as hard as I could, ignoring the pain in the back of my leg. It was a sign I was pushing myself too hard, but I just didn't care. I wanted to go higher, where I didn't have to deal with these things anymore.

I remembered when I was a little girl I would go so high I would be close to clearing the pole, then I'd jump out. It was such a rush, and me and the kids in my neighborhood would have contests as to who could make the most impressive jump. It was something I'd win at, even at times flipping as I made my jump. Naturally, that stopped when I ended up in the hospital with two broken teeth and a sprained ankle when I was ten, after I'd jumped so far I hit the monkey bars. Yay, memories.

Now, at nineteen, I found myself with my MP3 player on full blast, pushing my legs as hard as I could, going higher. I felt like that little girl again and I tried to forget everything. I closed my eyes and leaned back, and reopened them, looking at the clouds. It looked as if it was going to rain, but I didn't care. A bolt of lightening could strike me for as much as I cared now.

It had been three days. I wasn't talking to Sky, hell, I was barely talking to anyone. Jermaine was gone, God knows where, David was hanging around, his stint in Haiti being over, but today I shook him off with the excuse that I needed to clear my head. Ok, it wasn't an excuse, but I really just wanted to be by myself. I loved him, but there were some things I needed to face by myself.

I felt the raindrops falling, but I didn't move. I wanted to go higher, but my body didn't. I was exhausted. Finally, as the rain fell steadily, I broke. For the first time in three days, I cried. I cried for Sky, I cried for David, I cried for Michael. I just sat and cried. In so short a time, my life had gone from A OK to utter and living hell. I kept going, though I knew I was losing height. I also knew I was getting soaked, but I didn't care.

I was crying so hard, I didn't hear David walk behind me. He put his hands over mine on the chains of the swings and slowed me down. "Mel, you okay?" he asked softly. I shook my head and pressed my head in his shoulder. He rubbed my head and kissed my hair. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

"I...just hate this. I hate people being mad at me, especially Sky. She's like my-no, she IS my sister, and her being mad is killing me," I sobbed.

David squatted in front of me, so he could look in my eyes. "Melody Lea Rose, listen to me. Everything's going to be okay. You can't protect Sky from everything, any more than she can protect you from everything. She's going through a huge change and she's struggling," David said softly.

"I know, but it still hurts," I said, still crying.

David bit his lip, thinking. His eyes lit up. "Are you going to cheer up or do I need to sing?" he kidded. I smiled a bit. "Not good enough," he said, that teasing glint in his eyes.

"Please don't sing," I asked, smiling a bit more and wiping my eyes.

"I could dance," he pondered out loud.

"Oh, please, don't!" I laughed, jumping out of the swing.

"Don't? Fine. I won't," he said, poking my sides.

"Stop! You know I'm ticklish!" I said, laughing and running away from him. I didn't care if it was raining.

"Ha! That's mission #1 accomplished," David said, inching closer to me, a very evil plan working in his mind.

"Oh yeah, what was mission #1?" I asked, hugging him.

"Making you laugh," he admitted, kissing my forehead.

"I bet you have a mission #2," I said, pulling away.

"I do," he said, grinning innocently.

"What's that?" I asked, preparing to run away.

"Tickle you till you say mercy," he said, beginning to chase me.

I laughed as I began to dodge him. "Never in your life!"

And, for a while, in the rain, as I unsuccessfully tried to avoid my silly boyfriend's attempts to cheer me up, I forgot about the stress.

_**Sky POV**_

"Three days," I kept whispering to myself. It's been three days and I still haven't spoken to my sister. I paced in the apartment. She had left without a word about an hour ago and it was raining. I stood up and walked from the bed to the window and opened it all the way. We were staying at a 2 story apartment, courtesy of our Uncle Michael. I smiled as I thought of him that way.

Melody and I should be enjoying this news together, but I ruined it by acting like a freaking psycho. I sat on the window seal and watched the rain fall. Each little raindrop seemed to tell a story. Each one traveled a distance, came from a lake or a pond at one point. So simple, yet so distinct. I held my hand out and let the rain hit my hand and stared at the water as it slapped my bare skin.

I sat there for a while trying to decide what to do next. Should I call Uncle Mike and have him find Jermaine for me? I still couldn't find it in me to call him my father. I hadn't seen him since I found out all this insane news. I needed to figure out something. I shook my head and decided to walk outside for a while. We were near the ocean, so I decided a walk by the beach sounded nice. I didn't bother to grab an umbrella. I grabbed my IPod and walked a little ways by the beach.

I listened to all of Mike's music as I sat there. There was no one else around and the rain was making the temperature fall rapidly. I sang to myself as I sat there. I couldn't look to the sky and ask for Mike's advice anymore. He can't hear me now, with him still being here with us. The song currently playing was Stranger in Moscow. I hummed it to myself until it was over. When it ended, I still heard Mike singing the song. I pulled my headphones out and turned to see Michael standing there smiling weakly at me.

"Skylie, what are you doing out here in the pouring rain? You're gonna catch a cold," he smiled at me. I shrugged and looked away. "You still haven't made up with Melody, have you?"

I sighed. "No."

He bit his lip and then walked toward me. "What are you thinking right now?"

"I don't know…" I paused and then shivered. "I'm just confused. I feel so lost." I looked up to the sky again and Michael took notice.

"You know, like I told Mel, I'm not up there as you once thought. I'm right here with you." He took his trench coat off and layed it over my shoulders. "And I'm not going anywhere."

He sat down and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I sighed at the instant warmth and rested my head on his shoulder. "I wish I could just apologize to her, but something is keeping me from doing that. I feel in a way like she hates me. And now, more than ever, I feel like something bad is gonna happen to her and I cant protect her."

"Something bad? Like what?"

"I don't know. What's worse is I feel like I should be talking to my father now that I have one, but I haven't even seen him since I heard the news. What happened to him? Is he just gonna abandon Mel and myself?"

"No, he wouldn't do that. Even if he did, you know I won't ever leave you or Mel. I may be just an uncle, but if it came right down to it, I'd adopt you gladly."

"Mike, Mel and I are over 18. You can't adopt us."

"Says who?" he winked at me and I blushed.

"I don't know."

"That's what I thought. Now let's get back inside where its warm and dry. I don't want my little niece getting sick," he winked again and I rolled my eyes.

We walked back to the apartment and Melody still hadn't come home yet. I was honestly beginning to worry. Mike stayed a little longer before Paris called him and asked him to come home. I ended up falling asleep just before he left and he tucked me in my bed before he left. I tossed and turned for what seemed like an eternity before I finally heard the front door open and close. Melody was back. Now I could get some decent sleep.

_**Melody POV**_

David tickled my sides till I finally gave up and screamed mercy, then he helped me up, only for me to knock him back down into the mud. He pulled me down and began tickling me again. Finally, after I got the final shot by shaking a tree limb and letting the water fall on David's head, he walked me home. As we walked up the steps, he kissed me and told me he loved me.

"You feel better?" he asked.

"Much better," I admitted.

"Look, Sky loves you. Like I said, give her time," he said.

I smiled as he ruffled my hair. He walked to his car as I walked in the apartment. Michael was there, tapping his foot. When he saw me, he burst out laughing.

"What?" I asked.

"I just got onto Sky about the rain, but it looks as if you've been out in it all day!" he said, trying to breathe.

"Oh," I said sheepishly. "David got to my sides."

"Uh-huh," Michael said. "Did you get him back?"

"You know I did," I said triumphantly.

"Atta girl. Sky's asleep, and I gotta run. I love you," he said, hugging me.

"I love you more, Uncle Michael," I said, smiling at him, calling him Uncle for the very first time.

"Goodnight, my niece," he said, smiling.

Later that night, I was hoping the run in the rain with my adorable boyfriend would keep the nightmares away but no such luck.

_I was running toward something, something hopeful, something that made me happy inside. I smiled myself and pushed myself to go faster._

_Just as I was about to reach it, the hope died in me and was replaced with fear. What I was running to was a trap, I wasn't running toward anything, I was running from something so something so dangerous that it would kill me if it caught me.__I was losing my breath and I was stumbling. I heard the Spanish coming from all around me. I wasn't being chased. I was being herded. As I kept going, I saw an opening. But it was nothing but a cliff._

_I turned and saw them all gather from behind me. I was standing at the edge of the cliff, only, it wasn't a cliff anymore. It was a stone wall.__I was trapped._

_"Melody, are you going to come quietly, or am I going to have to use this?" __Juan__ asked, holding his favorite toy: a silver knife I had gotten him when we were together._

_I just glared. In my mind, I saw their faces: my mom, Jermaine, Sky, David, Michael. Every single one of them who would have put their lives in front of me so I wouldn't have to deal with this drunken bastard in front of me.__I took a __deep breath__. They weren't here, though and it was up to me. I said a mental "I love you" to each of them, then opened my mouth._

_"I'd rather be dead than to be with you," I stated boldly. I knew he wasn't bluffing, but neither was I._

_Juan smiled. The others laughed. I studied them. Juan was in the center. On one side was __Diego__, his brother in law, and his cousin Leon. On the other side was Eddie, his other cousin, and a guy who I recognized but couldn't place right away. His smile was the one that pissed me off the most.__I wasn't going to stand here and wait. I darted away and the guy gestured to Juan. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Juan throw the knife and felt it plunge into my back._

_As I lay there, dying, the only thing I could think of was that the pain would be gone soon. I said goodbye to all my loved ones in my mind, and was shocked when I heard Sky and David come to me. I heard both of their gasps of shock as they saw the condition I was in._

_"Melody! Oh, God no!" Sky was saying, as David was picking me up and laying my head in his lap. _

_"Who did this to you?" he asked tearfully._

_I whispered Juan as my eyes began to close._

_"Melody! Wake up, come on, please wake up..."_

_**Sky POV**_

After I finally fell asleep, I began to dream…

_I was standing on the balcony, extremely upset over the news. I feel as if I was told this news all over again, and I still wasn't grasping it. I wanted to be alone, because I knew if anyone were to say something negative in any way, I'd explode on them. That was the last thing I wanted to do to anyone. Especially Melody._

"_Skylie, what is up with you?" Mel came out and I groaned. I knew I was already mad and she was gonna make it worse._

"_Mel, just leave me be," he grumbled with my back still turned to her. _

_She reached out and grabbed my arm, spinning me around to look at her. "No. You need to quit acting like this. Grow up a little, Skylie! You aren't the only one hurting, you know?"_

_I jerked my arm away from her. "You just don't understand!"_

"_Yeah, I understand you're being a selfish little brat!"_

_I gritted my teeth. "I'm being selfish? What about you, huh? You have a mother that cared for you all your life! I don't even know who my real mother is!"_

"_Oh please! You need to get over this crap, Skylie! How long is it gonna take you to swallow your pride and come talk to your real family about all this?"_

"_You can't rush these things Melody."_

"_Well you know what, I am rushing you because you aren't the only one hurting."_

"_You know what…" I couldn't help it anymore. My fuse was gone by now. "You're one to talk. How long did it take you before you finally got rid of that psycho, Juan?" Melody pursed her lips and took a step back. "Don't have an answer for that, do you?"_

_Melody took a deep breath and tears stung her eyes. I froze in my tirade. I just realized I hurt someone I loved more than life itself and I couldn't take back what I said. I took a step forward and held out my hand to touch her shoulder and she spun on her heels and stormed out of the apartment._

"_Melody…wait!"_

"_No…you said enough!" she slammed the door behind her and I ran after her._

"_Melody…I didn't mean it! I'm so…" I froze as I saw Juan standing there. He had Melody in his grasp and a knife against her throat._

"_Don't move, Skylie. I will deal with you in just a minute," he grinned evilly._

_Melody's face grew red. "You will NOT touch my sister!"_

"_Watch me…oh wait you can't, can you? Cuz you will be dead!" he slid the blade across her neck and she let out a scream that made my hair stand on end._

"_No! Melody! You son of a bitch! Leave her alone!" I yelled, tears poured from my eyes as she continued to cry out in pain._

"_I don't think so…" he growled. He dug the knife in deeper and she screamed again._

"_Melody!"_

I jumped up from my bed and heard her crying out. I rolled out of my bed and ran into her room where the screams came from. She was tossing and turning in her sleep and struggling against herself. I grabbed her arms and shook her. "Melody! Wake up…come on. Please, wake up!" I yelled over her screams and her eyes shot open. She slowly raised up and looked around the room with a confused look on her face. I studied her face for a minute and she looked at me. She held so much pain in her eyes. I reached out and touched her neck where I had witnessed Juan slicing into her flesh. She grabbed my hand and we both started crying.

"Melody…"

"Sky…"

We just hugged each other and said "I'm so sorry" at the same time. Neither one of us seemed to need an explanation from the other as to why we were apologizing. We didn't care. We had each other, that's all that mattered.


	18. Chapter 17

_**Melody POV**_

Sky and I were relaxing at home when Michael barged in the door. "Well I got good news, and better news," he said, finally, after catching his breath.

"Chill, old man, before you stroke out," I said, laughing. "Good news first, if you would, sir," I added, teasing him.

"Yeah, I'm not old," Michael said to me before looking at Sky. "Jermaine found Hazel."

"What?" Sky asked.

"He confronted her about everything. Well, he left out the part I'm still alive, but yeah. He said he met you and Mel in Haiti, and took ya'll to the hospital. There, he found out Sky needed blood, and, through that, found out you were his daughters. So he told her the story," Michael said, sitting down on the table.

"And?" Sky asked.

"She wants to meet you later on, when you all have adjusted to the news," Michael said simply. He took Sky's silence to be a maybe.

"Anyway, what's the better news?" I asked, antsy.

"Oh, yeah, we're going to Disney World!" he said excitedly.

"Um, Michael...you're dead, remember?" Sky asked.

"Nuh-uh. I'm going to be, well I already am black inside, but I'm going to be dark skinned again, and I'm gonna have my face concealed," he said, grinning.

"Why?" I asked.

"Cause, girls, me and my family, and even David, have sat and talked. You two are more stressed than a prostitute in church. Marlon asked me to throw that in. But anyway, you two need to loosen up, so what better than a trip to Disney World?" Michael said.

"You sound more excited than the rest of us," I said, suspiciously. "Are you gonna ride Space Mountain more than the rest of us?"

"That goes without saying, but since you mentioned it, I plan to. By the way, Miss Melody Lea Rose, we need to have a talk about these dreams of yours," Michael chided me.

Ugh. Months around Michael Jackson and he already knew me inside and out. And they say women are intuitive. Go figure. "No, we don't," I said firmly.

"Yes, we do," Michael said, just as firmly.

"Mel, don't," Sky whispered, but I shook my head. I knew I was playing with fire by arguing with Michael, but I didn't care.

"No. They don't mean anything. Juan's in jail. He should be for a long time. Even if he was out, he can't leave California. We're in Florida. So yeah, unless he feels like having an additional five years, he wouldn't dare come here. So drop the subject," I snapped.

Sky groaned and put her head in her hands. Michael, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow. "You know, Melody, you sure are getting some sassiness to that sweet demeanor you normally carry around. Is there anything wrong?" he asked so sweetly I wanted to cry.

"No. Just tired, and cranky," I said softly.

Michael smiled in understanding, but didn't push it again. When Michael left, Sky just rolled her eyes. "Dang, Mel, something is wrong, and you know it. Why didn't you tell him? I know you've told David-whoa, you haven't?" she added when I shook my head.

"No. He doesn't need to know about my silly nightmares. He worries about me enough," I said quietly.

"Damn. He's gonna be pissed when he finds out you haven't told him you're worried about this. He hates that you worry about things on your own," Sky said, confused. "You normally tell him everything."

"No, I don't. He doesn't know even remotely half of what you know," I said, grinning.

Sky grinned too. "Haha," she said. After a minute she sighed. "Does he know about all that Juan did to you while you were together?"

I shook my head. "I'd like to keep it that way," I sighed.

"Okay. Does he know about-" she pointed to the scar on my wrist, the one that extended from my wrist to my elbow. It was when I went to pull away from Juan one time when we were together and his nail raked a deep line in my skin when I did so.

I shook my head again. "Nope."

"Has he even asked?" I looked at her with guilt on my face. "He did, didn't he? Did you lie?"

"No, I just didn't tell him the complete truth. I asked him if he expected me to remember where all my scars came from. I'm sure he didn't believe me, but he took the hint and backed off," I said.

"Hmmm," was all she said, as she went to the kitchen to clean up.

I still had the feeling something bad was going to happen, so, as I lay down to sleep that night I said a special prayer. "Lord, please, I know you're about to throw me another test. Just, please, protect my loved ones while you do so."

_**Sky's POV**_

_Melody was really beginning to worry me. Her behavior was beginning to change and I had a feeling I wasn't the only one that had noticed. She was getting snippy with even Mike, and that for either of us was a rare thing. She was always the one that told me never to argue with him because when you are in an argument with the King of Pop, there is no winning against him. Yet here she was, snapping at him against my warning. What was up with her?_

_I winced as I leaned over the kitchen sink to wash the last plate in the sink. My wounds still haven't completely healed, but most of them were doing great. I had full control over my arms and legs, so no concern there. My chest had been hurting on and off, but only at random times. I was supposed to be going to get a check up pretty soon._

_"You alright?" Mike asked when he walked in the kitchen._

_"Geeze, you scared me. Don't you ever knock?" I teased. I straightened up and flicked water off of my hands at him and he covered his face and chuckled._

_"I like scaring you though. You and Mel make it so easy, I just can't resist," he winked._

_"I heard that," Melody called from the other room. We both giggled and Mike kissed me on the cheek._

_"How've you been feeling?" he asked. "With the wounds I mean…" he trailed his hand over my side wear a new scar was forming and I shivered a little. I was extremely ticklish and I tried not to show it._

_"I'm doing a lot better now, thanks. How about you?"_

_"Oh, I can't complain, though I've never had a building fall on top of me before," he taunted. I opened my mouth to protest but Melody slid into the room._

_"No, but you did fall about 5 stories down on a collapsible bridge on stage," she threw at him._

_"Not my fault," he snipped with a smile._

_"Like a falling building was my fault?" I rolled my eyes and we all walked back into the living room. "Anyway, I'm gonna be going to get a check up here pretty soon. Hopefully nothing new has popped up in my weak little system."_

_"Why must you always expect the worst? That's a horrible habit to get into you know," Melody groaned._

_I shrugged. "Well, you know me. Always expect the worst. That way, you won't be expecting the best and end up getting shot down in the long run."_

_"You won't get shot down, Skylie. Quit talking like that," she growled quietly. Mike kissed her cheek and then patted my head._

_"Put away the claws, Melodia. I'll see you girls later. I'm gonna get the family together for a swim. How's that sound?"_

_"Sounds heavenly," I sighed. Melody giggled at my expression._

_"I bet the cool water would feel good on your wounds, Sky. And that's a great opportunity for me to try out my new camera. By the way Uncle Mike, thank you."_

_"No problem girl. See you later."_

_"Love you," Mel and I said in unison and then we looked at each other and smiled._

_Mike grinned. "Love you most," he winked and then walked out._

_A nice day at the pool sounded so incredible to me. Not really for myself alone, but for the simple fact that I knew Mike was going to be inviting David as well, and when we all get together, it seems to keep Melody in a better mood. I didn't want her so stressed all the time. I knew what a large amount of stress did to people and I didn't wanna see Mel get hurt because of something stupid. I just wish I knew what that stupid something was…or who for that matter. Whatever it was…I was determined to find out._

_**Juan POV**_

_I was going to get that stupid bitch.__I was seething as I painted a house. I was out on bail, hoping that this would hurry up. The worst they could do was deport me, and I could come back.__Melody cost me my family, my money, my freedom. Her and that stupid friend of hers. They were going to pay._

_I punched the wall as the foreman called us together.__"Hey guys, we got a new guy here. He's actually an apprentice to be a contractor. Juan, show him the ropes."_

_The new guy looked Mexican. Cool. Someone to talk to._

_I asked him what his name was in Spanish.__"Man, I'm not Hispanic," he said in a weird accent._

_"What are you then?" I asked._

_"I'm from Egypt. Where are you from?"_

_I pointed to the borderline. We could see it from here. "Mexico, born and raised. What's your name, man?"_

_"Ahmed Dekken, but people call me Vandy. What about you?" Ahmed asked._

_"Juan Ramirez-Cortez. I go by Ramirez though. I mean, I go by Juan Ramirez," I said, shaking his hand._

_"That is an interesting tattoo," he said, mentioning the music note I had tatted on my inner wrist, below the rose I have dedicated to my grandmother's memory._

_"It's for my girl," I said, anger filling me again._

_"Hmm, your girl? Seems you are mad at her," Ahmed noticed._

_"It's a long story. She left me two years ago and I want her back. I need her back," I said._

_"It's funny, I have a girl I want back too. She lives in the States, and it is why I moved here," Ahmed said._

_"Ahmed-"_

_"Vandy."_

_"Vandy, look. Melody's special, alright? She's the one for me and I'm wanting to get her back," I said. "I doubt your girl has nothing on that."_

_"I disagree. My Sky is special as well," Vandy said, cutting his eyes at me._

_"Sky? Not Sky Morose," I said, a plan working in my brain._

_"They are one and the same. You know her?" Vandy asked._

_"Yeah. Listen, Vandy. I can tell you her number. But, how good are you at tracing stuff?"_

_"Like computers? Very good. Why?" Vandy asked._

_"Cause your girl is my girl's best friend. We find Sky, we find Melody," I said, smiling._

_Vandy smiled too. "Then help me help you."_

_**Melody POV**_

We were at the pool at our hotel. Sky was trying to trick Michael into jumping in the pool without her. She wasn't doing a good job. David was already in the pool, as were Paris, Prince, and Blanket. LaToya and Janet were sunning and Michael's brothers were sneaking up on Rebbie to push her in. She tricked them by jumping out if the way at the last minute, causing Marlon and Jackie to fall in.

Finally, Michael got tired of Sky's games by taking her hand and jumping in, causing her to go in herself. I laughed and snapped a picture. I then snapped some of everyone else. This was half the reason I wasn't in the pool. I wanted to take pictures. I loved photography.

David and Michael called my name and I looked up. "What?" I asked.

"Come on, get in the pool," David said, putting on his puppy dog eyes.

"That doesn't work for her," Sky called. David responded by tossing a wave of water her direction.

"Nah, I will later. I want to take these pictures," I said.

"Come on Melody, I'll take some," Paris called. "You can be in them."

"No, I take pictures, I'm not in them," I answered.

"Excuses, excuses," David muttered. I stuck my tongue out at him, and went back to my pictures.

A few minutes later, I heard someone's phone buzzing. I looked beside me. It was Sky's. "Hey Skylie, your phone," I called.

"Get it for me!" she called, getting away from Michael.

Laughing, I answered the phone. "Hello?" I asked, still laughing.

"Hey, Sky?"

"No, it's Melody," I said. I recognized the voice, but couldn't place the person.

"Where's Sky?"

"Who's this?" I asked.

At that moment I heard Sky yell, "Michael, stop!" She was laughing as Michael was chasing her. She jumped out of the pool and he jumped out and chased her. I laughed at the sight. Michael caught up to her and lifted her up bridal style and held her over the pool. "Don't you dare, Mike…NO!" she screamed as he tilted her further toward the water. She latched herself onto him just as he tried to hurl her in and they both fell in at the same time.

"Where's Sky? And who the hell is Michael?"

"Uh, who the hell are you?" I asked.

Michael said at that moment, "Disney World after this?" and everyone cheered in agreement. When I turned my attention back to the phone, it was dead.

I shook my head in disgust. David raised an eyebrow and I just smiled and shook my head. "Hey, Mellie, who was on the phone?" Sky asked, getting out of the pool.

"Apparently no one important. They hung up," I said, putting my camera away and finally jumping into the pool.

_**Sky POV**_

I looked at Melody in a strange way. She looked almost pissed for some reason. I watched her jump into the pool and I looked at my phone. My recent call was from a blocked number. Maybe it was just my imagination then, but why on earth I felt like I was suddenly being watched was beyond me. I looked around nervously and was suddenly splashed.

"Hey!" I snapped and Jackie grinned at me.

"Come on, we just got Melody in here, don't go running off now!"

"I wasn't. dang…maybe I wanted to snap some shots," I grinned and picked up Melody's camera.

"No!" she yelled and started swimming to me. "Don't take my picture Skylie! I don't have on any makeup! I'm not decent!"

David laughed and wrapped his arms around her and she grew very still and calm. I loved to see that. David was always the only one that could calm her down simply by wrapping his arms around her. She grinned at him and I snapped a picture as he kissed her on the cheek. She saw the flash and snapped her head up.

"Skylie!" she screamed.

I laughed. "What? Oh come on, that was too cute!" I looked at the back of the camera to see the picture and I cooed. "Aww! This one is soooo going up on the fridge when we get home!"

She growled at me and I set the camera down and grinned. I was about to pop off at her but then I heard footsteps behind me.

"Don't get all worked up, Mel. Allow me…" Michael's voice came from behind me and he lifted me up over his shoulder.

"Mike…don't!" I yelled and laughed at the same time.

"Too late!" he yelled and jumped into the pool with me. Damn that uncle of mine. I will get him back….somehow.

The next couple of days went by and we made our destination to Disney World. Michael seemed to be more excited than the rest of us. He had a rather good disguise as well. Melody and I almost mistook him for Marlon.

"That was what I was aiming for," he grinned at us and we rolled our eyes at him. We walked down a main road in the park together and some pictures were being snapped. Mike and the others really didn't seem too worried, so Melody and I didn't worry either. Though Melody seemed a little uncomfortable at all the pictures being taken of her. She always hated getting her picture taken. If she was behind the camera, she was happier than a woodpecker at a lumber yard. I groaned at myself when I thought of that. I had been hanging out with Marlon too long.

"Hang on a minute," I froze. I had a weird feeling we were being watched for a split second. I stood in place and stared at my feet. I didn't wanna worry anyone, so I tried to make my mind switch to something else. Everyone else stopped and Melody called my name a few times before Michael grabbed my hand and took off running. "What the…what are you doing?" I laughed as he began to skip.

"You need to loosen up. Come dance with me!"

I started to protest as I was blushing furiously, but come on, who could argue with Michael Jackson when he asks you to dance with him? I obliged and skipped down the road in front of everyone else. They all laughed and Melody snapped some pictures. My eyes scanned the crowd as I laughed and idly wondered how many people would be jealous if only they knew it was really Mike and not Marlon they were staring at.

As my eyes scanned the crowd, I saw a familiar set of eyes I wish I never had to see again. I froze in place. "Oh God…"

_**Melody POV**_

We were at Disney World and I was listening to my MP3 player as the big kids were playing in front of me. I shook my head and smiled as Michael was dancing with Sky down Main Street. David was laughing and I started taking pictures of them. I had to give Michael credit, posing as Marlon today (Michael's kids were with him after all, and there's just no pulling the lookalike excuse off for that). He looked so young and happy, I just couldn't help but wonder if he could indeed live much longer if he could stay so carefree.

"Mellie! Come on we're headed to Epcot!" Michael shouted to me.

"Why?" I asked, putting my MP3 player away.

"Uh, come on, Captain EO is playing there," Michael said. Our uncle's brown eyes glittered with excitement, and the excitement was contagious.

I grinned and shoved his shoulder. "Leave it to you to let fame get to your head after you've supposedly died," I teased.

"Haha, you're a comedy genius, Mels," Michael said, wrapping his arm around me and Sky.

I noticed something strange with her. Once she was all happy go lucky, but now she was acting all...scared? Her eyes were fixed on something in the crowds.

"Skylie?" I asked, concerned.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"Hey, snap out of it chickita," David said, taking Sky's arm. I moved from under Michael's arm and walked over to her. She blinked rapidly and came back to her senses.

"Hey, what was that all about?" I asked.

"Mels, let it go," David warned.

"Nope. Skylie?" I asked. David rolled his eyes. He'd been trying to get my "attitude in check". Obviously, he didn't realize yet that my attitude would not be tamed when it came to my best friend.

"I just thought I saw..." she trailed off and I saw the answer in her eyes.

"Oh no," I whispered, where only we could hear.

Once upon a time, Sky had an ex that treated her like dirt. No, he wasn't physically abusive like Juan was. But the mental torture he put her through was worse in ways that I didn't want to understand. She wanted to marry him and came so close, but for some reason it stopped.  
No, she may not have been abused like me. Maybe she had been. All I know is the name Vandy brings fear to Sky's eyes and that she thinks he's here.

For the rest of that day, we had wandered all over that park. Michael beat us all when it came to riding so many rides and we watched Captain EO twice and Moonwalker 3 times before we all grew very tired. Sky seemed to be doing a lot better once it was time for us to leave the park. It took about an hour or so before I noticed she finally quit watching the crowds and focused on the rest of our family.

I rolled out of bed the next morning. I had spent the night alone in our rental Orlando apartment while Sky was in Miami getting a check up for her Haiti injuries. I looked at the calendar. It was February 12, Prince's fifteenth birthday. And only a few days until my twentieth birthday. I checked my phone and saw I had four new texts.

The first was from Sky…

_Mellie! Getting poked and prodded sucks! I feel violated! HEELLLP! lol just seeing if you were awake love you! –Skylie_

__I giggled. I was glad she seemed to have gone back to her normal silly self, for the most part. I went to the next text, which was from David…

_Good morning sleepyhead! Text me when you wake up I wanna get out of the house and I bet you want the same! Love you beautiful –David_

__I smiled and blushed and went to my third, which was from my favorite uncle…

_My melodious niece, text me when you wake up. I know someone's birthday is coming up and I need to know what you want to do. Love always, Uncle Mikey_

__I rolled my eyes at that one. Honestly, did no one ever listen when I said I hated my birthday? I shuddered that thought away as I looked at the next text. It was a private number.

_Someone's birthday is coming up. Too bad you won't make it out of your teens. See you soon._

__I couldn't help it. I screamed as I tossed the phone on the floor.

"Melody!"

It was Michael outside, and I could hear him trying to get in the house.

"Yeah?" I asked, calming down. Thinking of a cover story, I ran to get the door, hiding my phone in the laundry basket.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?" he asked, after I let him in.

"I'm fine. I just saw a spider. I hate spiders! They freak me out!" I said, my hysteria from that text working to my advantage.

Michael shook his head, smiling. He believed me. Inside I felt wrong because I was lying to him. We talked about my birthday for a while then I told him to tell Prince I'd be over later. I walked out after he left and went to meet my boyfriend. I was still paranoid as hell, knowing I had a few days left of being nineteen...and possibly of being alive.

_**Sky's POV**_

Once I was finally told I could leave the doctor's office, I was so relieved. He had poked on all of my sore spots and at one point, I had sent Melody a text asking for backup. I had hoped it would've made her smile. The doctor had also taken me to get a CT scan of my chest area to make sure nothing else was out of the ordinary.

"Everything looks a lot better. Nothing new except one little thing…" the doctor had said.

I sat up on the edge of the hospital bed. "What? What is it?" I asked nervously.

"Nothing to be concerned too much about. It's just a nodule in the lower right area of your lung. It isn't really that big as of yet, but I do want you to follow up in about six weeks to get it re-checked."

"So what happens if it gets bigger?" I asked slowly.

"Well, if it grows any bigger, we will go in and get a biopsy, just to make sure it isn't cancer. Don't get too worried about it," he said when my eyes grew wide. "A lot of people have nodules. Most of the time, they are just little growths of tissue that never grows any bigger. I'm sure it will be fine. You are good to go. I'll have a nurse come in with your discharge forms. Overall, you're in great health."

I shook my head as I climbed into the taxi cab. Nothing to worry about, huh?

"Then why am I so jittery?" I whispered to myself. Just then, the tone of Thriller rang out and I smiled. That was my favorite uncle's ring tone when he called. "Hey Uncle Mike. What's up?"

"Hey girl. How's it going? Are you done at the doctor yet?"

"Sure am, just got done in fact. You have great timing."

"What did he say?"

"I'm in good health, or so he says," I answered a little nervously.

"You don't sound too sure," he said.

"Yeah well, I'll tell you about that later. Is there someone on the other line with you? I thought I heard someone else cough."

"Yea, David's on too. We three-wayed you."

"Hey Sky," David said.

"Hey David. Wait, Mike I thought you hated three way calls…what's wrong?"

"Sky, something's wrong with Melody," Michael said. David drew in a sharp breath. I knew that Michael had told him that much, but he was dreading hearing more.

That's when I had my outburst, startling the taxi driver. "I knew it! I knew something was up. Damn why didn't she say anything to me? I'm not a freaking psychic you know. How am I supposed to help her if she won't suck it up and ask me for help? Geeze!"

"Sky, calm down. Now, I was walking to talk to her, well, to make sure she was awake, you know she sleeps late, and I heard her scream."

"What?" David has asked loudly this time. I rolled my eyes.

"David, chill. Michael, continue," I said impatiently.

"Well, I tried to get in and she opened the door, all happy go lucky, but I could see something was wrong. She tried blaming it on a spider, but, and I'm sorry, but no one screams like that because of a spider," Michael said.

"She acted funny with me when we were on the beach," David said softly.

I heard the tone in his voice and I recognized it instantly.

"How so, David?" I asked. This was sounding so much like deja-vu.

"Well, she had goosebumps, even though the weather was fine. And whenever we were sitting, she had her knees drew up to her chest and her arms were wrapped around them so tightly. And whenever I'd go to hug her, she'd push or pull away," he said, sounding hurt. I felt my stomach drop to my knees.

"Well, she's obviously scared about something. She did the same with me," Michael said.

"Yeah, when she gets that scared, it's like her body automatically pushes anyone away," I said carefully. I knew what was going on. It was Juan! The nightmares, and now something he said has her so scared she's pushing everyone _male_ away! I was so stupid! Was it possible she was going through what I was going through? I was better at hiding what I had going on.

"Look, guys, I'm home. I'll try to find out what's going on. I'll call you back," I said, getting angry. Not at me, not at Mel, at these psychos who thought they could mess with us. My baby sister was in trouble, and my claws were out. I unlocked the door and slammed open the door.  
Melody looked up startled as I threw my stuff to the ground and walked to her. "Melody Rose, give me your phone _now._"


	19. Chapter 18

_**Melody POV**_

"What are you talking about?" I said trying to delete my messages without looking down. Too bad I got a new one, making my phone go off in my hands. Before I could do anything, Sky lunged for my phone. "Sky, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Oh, I don't know, you screaming this morning then lying to Michael? Your boyfriend's hurt because you pushed him away this afternoon? If something's going on, please tell me! Did Juan text- OH MY GOD!" Sky said, breaking off mid sentence and looking at my phone. Tears of fear went through her eyes then she jumped when her phone went off, too. She looked up at me. "Melody, tell the truth. How many times have you been getting these messages?" she asked, crying.

Sky crying? No, that couldn't be.

"Ju-just today, just that once this morning. I swear," I whispered, worried and scared.

She silently handed me my phone so I could read the message.

_David and Melody...aww such a sweet couple. Too bad his broken heart will match her broken neck._

__I shook my head, keeping the tears back.

"Melody, I don't care what you say. I'm calling Michael AND David. David is your boyfriend for Christ's sakes! And Michael, well, he's our uncle. He has the right-"

"Skylie, no! Please no! They don't need to be in this! They'll get hurt…they"

"Did you not read that text? What the hell is David going to do without you? What am I going to do without you Mellie?"

"Give it time-"

"No, I won't I'm calling them right now...wait, I got a message I think it's my mom-" she broke off when she saw what the message said. She read it out loud.

_i saw u in miami today skylie...u look good. too bad u wont look good for long_

__Sky took a deep breath, then winced. Exhaling, she said, "Maybe we should wait."

"What the- ok, Sky wait- just...ugh never mind we'll wait then," I said, confused and irritated.

The next day, I accidently snapped at Paris and Michael pulled me aside.

"Melody, I am seriously worried about you. Your attitude is worrying me because you're not always so hostile, even the last time this mess happened. Is anything wrong?" he asked.

I started sobbing, which alarmed him more. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I said as he hugged me.

He pulled back and looked at me, then realization showed on his face. He took me, still crying and called for Sky.

"What's up?" she said, looking at me.

He whispered in her ear and her face looked like his, only not as surprised. "I figured. You want to take her?" she asked.

"Unless you want to?" he asked.

Sky nodded, saying she wanted to come with us, but I was too upset to be confused.

"Come on Melody, let's go," he said, soothingly but firmly. I obliged as we got in his car. "Mellie, when was your last period?" Michael finally asked.

"Um, I don't know, maybe nine weeks ago? I'd be alarmed but I'm irregular anyway and..." I babbled on as he continued to drive.

"Have you and David...well...you know?" he asked seriously but blushing just a little.

I did too. "Yeah," I confessed.

"When?" he asked.

"A few days after I got back from the hospital," I said.

"Were you guys safe?" Sky asked from the back seat.

"Yeah, I'm on birth control," I said, blushing even more.

"Melody, was that all?" she asked.

"No, but it, well, broke. I thought it was nothing to worry about," I said, confused.

Michael rolled his eyes, but Sky shushed him. "It may not be, but I'm getting you a pregnancy test just in case. Something's not right with your nerves, and I'm doing this only as a precaution," Sky said.

We got to the drug store. Sky told me to wait in the car with Michael. A few people glanced at Michael as they walked by and he pulled out his sunglasses and a ball cap to hide himself. I smiled weakly at him and then looked out my window. As I sat there, shaking, Michael took my hand. "Hey, it's okay. If you are, no one will be mad with you. And we'll help you in any way we can," Michael said, kissing my forehead.

Sky came back with the test and she told Michael to take us to our apartment instead of back to his rental home. She saw my face in the rearview mirror. "Chicadee, relax. Everything's going to be easy-peasy."

I tried relaxing, but I was getting nauseated. We made it home and to the bathroom just in time to where I could throw my guts up.

"It's all this stress she's going through," Michael murmured, holding my hair as Sky rubbed my back.

After I was done, and rinsed my mouth out, Michael and Sky left so I could take the test. Thank God there were two, because I dropped the first one in the toilet. Mad at my clumsiness, I took out the other one and did my business. Sky came in with Michael and we waited for three minutes, though it felt like 3 hours. After it came, I still didn't flip over the test.

"Melody, you want me to do it?" Michael asked.

I closed my eyes and nodded. I felt him take the test from my hands and I heard him take a deep breath, I guess he was steeling himself. Then I heard him exhale in relief. "Melody, you're just pregnant," he said.

I opened my eyes and glared. "What do you mean, just pregnant? I'll be twenty years old in five days, I am way too young to be a mother!"

"No no no no no, Mellie, listen," Sky said. "We were worried it was worse. We know brain tumors run in your family, and the way you were acting made us scared you had one of those, or bipolar disorder, or something like that. We were researching, and what we found was making us so scared."

I took a deep breath.

"Melody, do you want to keep this baby?" Sky said.

"I don't want to abort it," I said slowly. "I want to carry it to term, but after that, I don't know yet."

"It's okay, we'll be here for you every step of the way," Michael said, hugging me as I started to cry. He reached out for Sky, and we stood there, just us, the original Three Musketeers, and we all cried.

_**Sky POV**_

Michael and I were so relieved after reading the test. I had access to some of Melody's family and her medical records where I worked, and Michael had brought it to my attention one day. He and I were playing video games and Melody was taking a nap. She had been very fatigued for the last couple of weeks. She took naps a lot.

"I have a theory…" Michael started, still concentrating on the game.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh lord."

He paused the game and faced me on the couch. "What? It's nothing bad, for you anyway. I've been worried about her, and I know you have been too," he said as he glanced over at a sleeping Melody in the den. "And I remembered something. She told me a few months ago about a family member that had passed away due to a brain tumor. She's had many family members die from that actually. Do you think that could be hereditary?"

I thought for a minute. "It's possible, I mean I'm not sure about tumors but we can't rule it out really. I have some of her family and her on file at work. I'll go over them tomorrow and see what I can find."

Michael smiled and held my hand and together, we said a silent prayer for Melody. The next day, David was told to keep Melody busy so he took her to the park and to the zoo. The family did their best to stay with us. I worked as much as I could on my research, but I had to keep stopping to take care of patients. I ended up taking the files home with me.

I knew Melody would freak if she saw the files, so I decided to sneak into Michael's house. Everyone was outside looking at the stars. I smiled and backed away to find a place to hide the files when I bumped into someone. I jumped and turned to see Jermaine standing there.

"Oh…sorry da…Jermaine. I didn't see you there," I stopped myself from calling him dad. I didn't have the chance to even speak with him since he found out the news. I didn't know how he'd take to having 2 new daughters.

"It's okay…Skylie," he smiled weakly. "Can I help you with that? It looks pretty heavy," he nodded toward my book bag carrying the large files.

"Well, I…um," I stuttered for words.

"What is it? Are you trying to hide something from your father?" he winked and I blushed. "You can tell me anything, you know."

I sighed and smiled at him. "Right, I should know that. I'm sorry. Michael has a theory as to why Melody is acting so different…" I went on to tell him everything Michael and I knew so far. Jermaine had just gotten back from out of town, so I went ahead and filled him in on some of her behavior. He nodded and led me to a different room I hadn't seen before.

"This is a special room. It was a place for the Jackson brothers to hang out when we needed each other, but now it's Mike's office. You can do some research here, if you'd like. Just don't work too hard. I won't be far if you need any help."

"Thanks," I sat down at the desk and set the book bag down. I froze when Jermaine hesitantly leaned down and kissed me on the top of the head and ruffled my hair like a kid. I scrunched my nose at him and he chuckled and walked out. Then I stretched and set to work. "Okay, here we go…"

_**Melody POV**_

Sky watched me all day the next day. "Girl, when are you going to tell David?" she finally asked.

"Hm, I don't know," I said, playing with my blanket. We were curled up in our sleeping bags in the living room, watching Eclipse on DVD.

"Well, hmm, lift up your shirt," Sky said.

"Look, Sky if you're gonna start being all like that..." I teased.

"Oh, come on, Mellie, I wanna see if you got a bump yet," Sky said, rolling her eyes. I did and Sky looked at my tummy area. "Girl, look! You got a bump forming!" she said, putting her hand on it. I looked down and smiled. I was getting used to the idea of having a child inside me.

I sighed. "Skylie, I want to keep this baby," I said.

"I knew you would," Sky said, pulling my shirt back down. "And don't worry about David, he'll be fine. More than fine. He'll be thrilled."

"I hope so," I said, laying down and watching the movie.

"So, have you thought of any names?" Sky asked, drooling over Jacob Black.

I tore my eyes from the sexy werewolf. "Yes, I have. If it's a girl, I'm naming her Leila Sky. If it's a boy, I'm naming him Michael Bryant," I said.

"Aw! I'm touched," Sky said, hugging me. "What do you want?"

"A boy, to tell the truth. So I don't have to deal with a girl telling me she's pregnant when she hits my age," I confessed.

Sky laughed. "True. I don't want any kids, I'm scared they'll end up like me!" she said laughing.

I laughed too, and we turned our attention back to the movie. Of course pregnancy hormones kicked in and I fell asleep before the movie was over. I woke up at six the next morning to my text tones ringing. I opened my phone and saw I had three unread messages. One was from Michael, one from David, and one from that damn blocked number.

I opened that last one and rolled my eyes at the stupidity. It was Juan, telling me to watch my back. I was seriously getting fed up.

_**Sky POV**_

I tried my best to keep a close eye on my sister after finding out from all my research that those brain tumors were in fact, hereditary. I was relieved to know her symptoms were just signs of her pregnancy though. I know Michael was too.

We watched Eclipse together and so many times, I glanced at her and watched her eyes. I wanted to tell her about Jermaine. She knew he was back, but I was curious if she had gotten the chance to talk to him yet.

"Dad, er…Jermaine finally came back," I mumbled.

"Yeah, I saw him the other day at uncle Mike's. He came out of the house when we were laying outside and he sat beside me and put his arm around me."

"Really?" I asked. "What did he say?"

Melody shrugged, eyes still locked on the movie. "He didn't say anything. I didn't even tense up, which is weird. I felt so comfortable and I felt my entire body and soul relax against him. Then he…" she blushed and looked down with a smile on her face.

"What?" I smiled back.

She looked at me with glazed eyes. "He kissed my forehead."

I nodded and put my arm around her and she leaned against me. "We finally have a dad."

"Yeah," she nodded tiredly.

After a while, she fell asleep and I wasn't too far off behind her. I awoke in the middle of the night with my phone going off. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock. "Who would text me this late?" I glanced at the message.

_I saw you go into town, little girl. You better watch yourself and your sister. Never know when I may decide to strike_

I growled and slammed my phone down. Vandy…he was really beginning to get on my nerves. He began texting me the night I found out about Melody getting those texts from Juan. There weren't that many texts from him, but each day they have gotten more and more threatening and coming more often. And now…he was threatening my sister. My pregnant sister.

"Keep it up camel boy," I growled in a whisper. "I dare you…"

My phone went off a few seconds later.

_Come out to play, Skylie. Let's play, unless you're too scared_

"Alright, that's it," I stood and stormed into my room and changed into my walking clothes. "God, I need some air."

I checked on Melody one last time before I stormed out of the house. I kept my rings on and some pepper spray attached to my ankle that Chris had given me last time I saw him. I headed for the park. I knew it would be deserted this time of night. I just needed to be alone and think things through.

As I walked around the park, I was beginning to settle down until I heard someone talking nearby. I came around a tree and followed the voice.

"Shh, it's okay," the voice whispered. I recognized the voice. It was Melody. Then suddenly I was angry again. Why the hell was she out here by herself so late?

_**Melody POV**_

_David and Melody sitting in a tree, Melody's getting murdered tonight by me David will cry like a little bitch when he sees Melody's body begin to twitch_

I threw my phone down on the couch and headed for my room and dressed into my black stretch pants and white tank top. I was going for a walk. I needed to get rid of this anger. How did that bastard get off, taunting me and my boyfriend? I fumed as I grabbed my phone and stormed out, noticing Sky was gone.

I walked until I came to a park, not too far from the apartment. It was midnight, and I walked around. I've been here before, but never at night. I stopped to catch my breath, and my stomach began to hurt.

"Shh, it's ok," I whispered to my child in me. I heard a rustling and I spun around to see-

"Sky?" I asked in disbelief.

"Melz? What the hell are you doing here?" Sky asked, a little angry.

"I needed a walk, these texts-"

"Yeah, I've been getting them too," Sky said quietly.

"What?" I asked. I didn't remember her telling me she was getting texts too.

"Oops," she murmured. "I've been getting these creepy texts too, except they were from Vandy."

I shook my head and sat on a bench. "What are we going to do?" I asked.

"I don't know," Sky admitted. "I'm ready for a fight to be honest. But you…"

"Well well well, look what we have here," a sly voice interrupted from behind us.

We both turned and I almost screamed. Juan was coming from the woods a small smirk across his lips.

"Looks like a PYT or two," another voice sounded and out walked another guy. Vandy, by the look on Sky's face.

"All alone, pretty ladies?" Juan asked, stepping closer. Sky stepped in front of me and tensed up.

"Stay away," she hissed.

"Why? Why are you protecting her?" Vandy asked.

"To protect them from assholes like you!" we heard a familiar voice sound.

_**Michael's POV**_

"Dad!" I looked up from my writing on my house's porch to see Prince running to me. "Dad, the girls are in trouble!" he shouted, loud enough for me and Jermaine, who had just flown in, to hear.

"What?" I asked, standing up so fast the chair flew back.

"They're at the park and a couple of guys are fu-"

"Prince Michael," I said, glaring at him.

"Sorry, but they're in trouble! You gotta help them!"

"DAVID!" I yelled so loud that Prince and Jermaine jumped.

"What?" David ran out, concerned. He was playing cards with Marlon and helping the others plan Melody's birthday party.

"We gotta go, the girls are in trouble," I said, grabbing my keys and leaping over the railing to the car, with Prince, Jermaine and David on my heels.

We sped to the park and jumped out before I could really turn the car off. We followed Prince and saw them. Sky was standing in front of Melody as the two men were advancing.

"Juan," I murmured as David snarled.

I looked at him, and noticed that he had a murderous look in his eyes. I heard one of the guys say "Why are you protecting her?"

"To protect them from assholes like you!" I said, running to the girls' aide.

"Michael," Sky said as Melody saw David. Relief broke through her face.

Juan took that opportunity and lunged for her. Sky jumped in front of Melody and pushed Juan to the ground. That's when all hell broke loose. The other guy, who I later learned was Vandy, tried to pull Sky off of Juan, and in the chaos, I noticed that Melody was unprotected.

I pushed David toward her. "Keep her out of it!" I ordered.

"Why! I want him, I want to get my hands on him," he snarled, his eyes on Juan.

"Just go!" I shouted.

"Why?"

His protests were getting on my nerves. "CAUSE SHE'S PREGNANT YOU IDIOT!"

_**Sky POV**_

Time seemed to stand still at the moment. It was like a battle you would only see in the movies. When Juan and Vandy came out of the darkness, I immediately placed myself in front of Melody. I expected her to protest, but she simply grabbed onto my arms tightly and I tensed up even more. She was scared, and I was pissed.

"Stay away!" I yelled, clenching my fists.

"Why? Why are you protecting her?" Vandy asked. His words were like venom to me.

I started to answer when someone answered for me. "Protecting her from assholes like you!"

Melody and I both jumped. Michael came running in from the other end of the park with David, Chris and our dad in toe. They seemed to have come out of nowhere. They ran so fast, they were jumping over benches like it was nothing.

"Michael," I breathed.

Melody tensed up again when she saw David run in behind Jermaine. She moved from behind me and Juan lunged for her. I immediately jumped in front of Melody and took Juan to the ground with all my weight against him. Vandy jumped in and tried to pull me off of Juan. I elbowed him in the crotch and punched Juan in the face. In the midst of the fight, I heard Michael yell and David yell back.

Vandy put me in a head lock and I kicked Juan in the face before realizing Melody was out of harms way. I fought back and Jermaine punched Vandy in the side of the head.

"Let go of my daughter, you damned Muslim!" he growled. Vandy released me and fell back a few feet. Juan came for me again and Michael took him on. In the mean time, he continued arguing with David, telling him to get Melody away.

"Why?" David asked.

"CAUSE SHE'S PREGNANT YOU IDIOT!" he yelled.

Everyone froze and my stomach tied up in knots.

_**Melody POV**_

When Michael shouted that, it was like all time stopped.

Then I heard "Melody!"

I turned and it was my uncles Randy, Jackie, Tito, and Marlon, with my cousin Chris!

"Chris!" I shouted turning to run to him.

Juan was looking from me to David, and I saw the evil in his eyes spill over. He gave me a glare and ran after me. He took my arm and pushed me to the ground. I felt David and Chris reach him and as I got up slowly, I saw they were beating the hell out of him.

Michael caught up to them. "David, get Melody out of here," he said.

Juan got up and looked at me. Once again, a moment in time passed where we were all frozen. Juan took the moment, and ran over, pushed me to the ground, and kicked me in my stomach, hard. He did it three more times before everything went black.

_**Sky POV**_

When Melody yelled for Chris, I stopped in my tracks. "Don't move, Mellie!" I yelled. She didn't seem to hear me. Juan took the opportunity and took Melody to the ground. "No!" I yelled and turned my back to Vandy. He pushed Jermaine off of him and punched me in the back and I fell to my knees, still focused on my sister.

Thankfully David and Chris got to him and pulled him off. They started pounding into him. I looked back and Vandy turned his attention to his friend on the ground. I swiped my leg under his feet and knocked him down, then I kicked him in the face and temporarily knocked him out.

Michael ran over to David and Chris and pulled David away. "David, get Melody out of here," he said.

Juan waited until David got up to push Chris off of him and he went after Melody again and knocked her down. He kicked her in the stomach a few times before she went completely limp.

I stood up and growled. He froze and looked around him and noticed everyone around him was coming for him. He backed up and I broke into a sprint and speared him against a tree. I cut my forehead on the tree, but I didn't care. I whaled on him. He hurt my sister and possibly killed my niece or nephew. He punched back and I fell back against Chris. Michael and Tito jumped in and started fighting Juan until he was finally knocked out.

Vandy got back up and looked at Chris and myself. Chris smiled at me and tore his sleeve off and put it across my head. I smiled back at him and Vandy growled.

Suddenly a rock hit Vandy in the head and he stopped and glared at the one who threw it. "Stay away you nasty camel humper!"

Michael froze. "Prince! Get out of here!"

"But I wanna help!" he yelled back.

"You helped enough. Go home!" Michael yelled back.

"But dad…"

"I can't stand to see someone else I love get hurt," he gritted his teeth and let a tear slip from his eye. "Go home…"

Prince caught on to his emotions and ran home. Vandy turned his attention back to me and Chris. Chris pushed me behind him and got ready for another fight. I looked around at everyone. Juan was knocked out, but everyone else looked exhausted enough. I still had some fight left in me. I pushed forward and Chris tried to stop me and I moved away from him.

"Come on you coward. You have been threatening and sending me texts for 2 weeks now. Here's your chance, you coward! Come on!" I yelled out of pure anger.

Vandy took that chance and tackled me to the ground. I fought back and everyone else joined in. I was on my back with Vandy on top of me, when a rather large boot came across his head and he flew to the side, completely unconscious. I laid back and closed my eyes, completely exhausted.

"Skylie, are you okay?" Chris put his hand on my face.

I nodded. "I'm fine. Where's Melody?"

"David took her to the hospital," Michael whispered. "We better get you there too."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. I wanna see my sister," I said with tears in my eyes. "I can't lose her."

Chris began helping me up and I winced. I had a few gashes on various parts of my body. Jermaine walked over and pushed Chris away.

"Someone go get my truck. I'll take her," he said. He lifted me up bridal style and I layed my head on his chest. "I just got you girls back. I won't lose you two again."


End file.
